Battle of Glenmaquin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Glenmaquin
Part of the Irish Confederate Wars
Date 16 June 1642 Location Glenmaquin, County Donegal Result Crown victory
Belligerents
Royalists Scottish and English settlers	Irish Confederates
Commanders and leaders
Sir Robert Stewart	Sir Felim O'Neill
Strength
2,000	6,000
Casualties and losses
low	500

The Battle of Glenmaquin was a short but important fight. It happened on June 16, 1642. This battle was part of a bigger conflict called the Irish Confederate Wars. The fight was between the Laggan Army, led by Sir Robert Stewart, and the Irish Confederate forces, led by Sir Felim O'Neill. The Laggan Army won a big victory. The Confederate forces lost many soldiers.

What Led to the Battle?

After the Irish Rebellion of 1641 began, many groups of settlers formed their own armies. One of these groups was called the Laggan Army. They got their name from the Laggan Valley. This valley is a rich farming area in eastern County Donegal.

In the spring of 1642, Sir Felim O'Neill gathered a large army. He was a main leader of the Irish Ulster Army. His army was joined by soldiers from the MacDonnells of Antrim. They marched into the Laggan Valley.

The Armies Involved

The Laggan Army

When the Irish Rebellion started, many Protestant settlers faced great hardship. They lost their homes and belongings. Many became refugees. Some tried to leave Ireland. Others sought safety in strongholds.

Rich Protestant landowners in northwest Ulster decided to protect their lands. Sir William Stewart and his brother Sir Robert Stewart were two such leaders. They were Scottish settlers. Both had served King Charles I of England in the military.

During the Plantation of Ulster, King Charles I gave land to loyal English and Scottish settlers. The Stewarts received large areas of land. They had to improve the land and bring over new settlers.

King Charles I trusted the Stewarts. After the rebellion began, he allowed them to create a regiment. This force had 1,000 foot soldiers and a troop of horsemen. This military group became known as the Laggan Army.

At first, their job was to protect the Laggan Valley. They also guarded parts of counties Tyrone and Derry. As the war went on, the Laggan Army became very strong. They defended Protestant strongholds. They also helped refugees find safe places. They even fought back against the Confederates.

William Stewart was the first leader. But Robert Stewart soon took over. Robert had a lot of experience from the Thirty Years' War in Europe. He was good at finding new soldiers and training them. His troops had better weapons, especially muskets. Robert Stewart also knew a lot about battle plans.

Felim's Confederate Army

Sir Felim O'Neill

The Confederate army was different from the Protestant militias. In the beginning, their soldiers were not as well trained. This was partly because Felim O'Neill did not have much military experience. Also, some Irish soldiers focused on taking things from civilians. They did not always focus on fighting the enemy.

In the spring of 1642, Felim decided to invade Donegal. It is not fully clear why he chose to fight the Laggan Army then. Felim had lost more battles than he had won. Also, many local Irish lords in Donegal and Derry did not strongly support the rebellion.

Felim might have thought that fighting the Laggan Army would gain him more support. Or he might have believed he could defeat them. Then he could take over northwest Ulster. This included the port city of Londonderry. Another idea is that Felim was trapped. Sir Robert Monro, a Scottish commander, held the eastern counties of Ulster. He was there to protect Protestants.

Felim went ahead with his plan. In early June, he joined forces with the MacDonnells of Antrim. They marched west toward Donegal. Their army had about 6,000 foot soldiers and several hundred horsemen. Alasdair Mac Colla, a Scottish officer who joined the Confederates, also supported Felim.

The Battle Unfolds

On June 14, Felim's army crossed the River Foyle. They entered Donegal, looking for a fight with the Laggan Army. Stewart knew the Confederates were coming. His force of 2,000 men was ready. But he did not attack right away.

Stewart pulled back. He wanted to draw Felim into a place where the Laggan Army would have an advantage. The next night, the two armies were a few hundred meters apart. They were on opposite sides of a valley near Glenmaquin village.

Stewart prepared for battle by building defenses. Felim planned to attack, so he did not build any defenses.

The next morning, Felim lined up his army in two rows. The Laggan Army took positions behind their defenses. The armies faced each other. They were too far for muskets or cannons to reach. Both waited for the other side to move first.

Stewart decided to act. He sent a small group of sharpshooters forward. They went partway across the field to attack the Confederates. This was meant to make the Confederates react. The Confederates reacted just as Stewart hoped. They charged downhill with full force.

The small group of sharpshooters quickly pulled back. They went to the Laggan defenses, with the Confederates right behind them. When the Confederates reached the defenses, the main Laggan Army opened fire. The first line of Confederate soldiers was caught in the open. They suffered many losses. They could not move forward. They broke and tried to run away.

Stewart then attacked. This caused the first line of Confederates to retreat in a rush. They crashed into their second line, which was trying to advance. This confusion made the second line panic and break. Felim and his officers tried to stop them, but it was too late. As the Confederates ran in all directions, Stewart sent his cavalry to chase them.

It was a terrible loss for Felim. Many officers, including Donnell Gorm MacDonnell, were killed. The Confederates had many more casualties. Laggan losses were much lower. Felim's losses would have been even higher. But Alasdair MacColla and his Scottish soldiers helped protect Felim's fleeing army.

What Happened Next?

After the battle, Felim went back to his headquarters. This was at Charlemont Fort in County Armagh, about eighty kilometers east. The Irish army was discouraged by the defeat. Many soldiers went home. They had lost faith in O'Neill as a good leader.

The Laggan Army kept fighting against the Confederates. However, an experienced Irish general named Owen Roe O'Neill arrived in 1642. He took command of the Ulster Army. He brought better training and discipline to the Irish army.

The Laggan Army won a victory against Owen Roe at the Battle of Clones in 1643. But in the years that followed, the Irish military started to gain ground. The Laggan Army and their Scottish Covenanter allies were defeated by the Irish forces at the Battle of Benburb in 1646.

See also

• Confederate Ireland
• Irish battles