Battle of Dungan's Hill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Dungan's Hill |
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| Part of the Irish Confederate Wars | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 English Parliamentarians |
 Irish Confederates |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Michael Jones | Thomas Preston | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 5,000 foot 1,500 horse |
7,000 foot 1,000 horse |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Low | Over 3,000 killed | ||||||
The Battle of Dungan's Hill was a very important fight in County Meath, eastern Ireland. It happened on August 8, 1647. This battle was part of the Irish Confederate Wars. It was fought between the army of Confederate Ireland and the army of the English Parliament. The Irish army was marching towards Dublin when the English army stopped them. The battle ended with a big victory for the English.
Even though it's not very well-known today, this battle was extremely bloody. Over 3,000 soldiers lost their lives. The English Parliament's win destroyed the main Irish army in Leinster. This loss was a big reason why the Irish Confederates eventually lost the war. It also led to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649.
Why the Battle Happened
By 1647, the Irish Catholic Confederation controlled most of Ireland. Only a few areas were still held by the English Parliament, like around Dublin and Cork. There was also a Scottish army in Ulster. The year before, the Confederates had decided not to make a peace deal with the English Royalists. Instead, they wanted to get rid of all other British forces in Ireland.
In August 1647, the Confederate army from Leinster, led by Thomas Preston, was trying to capture Dublin. Dublin was held by an English Parliamentarian army, led by Michael Jones. Jones had marched his troops 32 miles to help the Parliamentarian soldiers at Trim Castle. Preston was watching Jones's movements. He tried to march his army to Dublin before Jones could return. But Preston's army only went about 12 miles before Jones's army, also known as the Roundheads, caught up with them at Dungan's Hill. This forced the Confederates to get ready for a fight.
The battle took place about two miles south of a village called Summerhill.
The Battle Unfolds
From the English Parliament's side, they believed they won the battle because the Irish commander, Preston, made mistakes. Preston was an experienced soldier. He had fought in the Thirty Years' War and commanded a Spanish fort. However, he didn't have much experience fighting in open fields or leading cavalry (soldiers on horseback). On the other hand, Jones was a skilled cavalry officer from the English Civil War.
Preston tried to move his cavalry along a narrow, covered lane. This was a bad idea because they got stuck and couldn't fight back against the English fire. Even worse, Preston placed many of his soldiers in tall wheat fields, over seven feet high. These soldiers couldn't see the English army until it was too late.
With the Confederate army spread out and confused, Jones's troops attacked. The Irish cavalry became scared and ran away, leaving Preston's foot soldiers (infantry) without their support.
The Irish foot soldiers mainly used long pikes and heavy muskets. They were trained to stand in strong formations called tercios, like the Spanish army. These formations were hard to break. But they were also very slow and couldn't move easily without cavalry to protect them. To make things worse, Preston had placed them in a large field surrounded by walls. So, when their cavalry ran away, the English Parliamentarians could surround and trap them.
Some of the Irish foot soldiers were Scottish Highlanders, also called "redshanks". These soldiers were brought to Ireland by Alasdair MacColla. They managed to charge through Jones's men and escape into a nearby bog (a wet, muddy area). The English cavalry couldn't follow them into the bog. Preston and about 2,000 to 3,000 of his regular foot soldiers also managed to follow the Highlanders to safety. But the rest of the Irish army was trapped.
After the Fight
What happened next is still debated by historians. The trapped Irish foot soldiers fought off several attacks. Then, they tried to follow their comrades into the bog. When they moved, their strong formation broke apart. The English Parliamentarians then got among them and surrounded them in the bogland.
English accounts simply say that the Irish force was destroyed. However, Irish accounts claim that the Confederate troops tried to surrender, but they were then killed. One account, from a Catholic friar named O Meallain, said that the bodies of the Irish foot soldiers were found with their hands tied. A recent study suggests that the Irish soldiers probably tried to surrender. But in the 17th century, a surrender had to be accepted by the enemy to guarantee safety. In this battle, it seems their surrender was not accepted, and many soldiers lost their lives.
Around 3,000 Confederate soldiers and a small number of English Parliamentarians died at Dungan's Hill. Most of those who died were Irish foot soldiers killed at the end of the battle. One English commander, Colonel Anthony Hungerford, was shot in the mouth. This injury made him leave the English Army.
The few prisoners taken were mostly officers. The English could either get money for them (ransom) or exchange them for their own captured soldiers. Richard Talbot, who later became a very important leader in Ireland, was one of the captured Confederate officers.
Right after the battle, another Irish army, Owen Roe O'Neill's Ulster Army, marched to a place called Portlester Mill. They fought a successful battle there, stopping Jones's leading troops. This allowed the survivors of Preston's Leinster army to escape. Jones, worried about O'Neill's army, did not chase them further and returned to Dublin. O'Neill and his Ulster soldiers came back four months later to bury the dead Confederate soldiers.
See also
- Confederate Ireland
- Irish battles
- Irish Confederate Wars
