Battle of New Ross (1643) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of New Ross
Part of the Irish Confederate Wars
Date 18 March 1643 Location Ballinvegga, County Wexford Result Royalist victory
Belligerents
Royalists	Irish Confederates
Commanders and leaders
Marquess of Ormond Sir Francis Willoughby	Thomas Preston
Strength
3,700	6,000
Casualties and losses
20	500

The Battle of New Ross, also called the Battle of Ballinvegga, happened on March 18, 1643. It was a major fight during the Irish Confederate Wars. In this battle, the Irish Confederates from Leinster, led by Thomas Preston, were defeated. They were beaten at Ballinvegga in County Wexford by the Royalist army. The Royalist forces were commanded by the Marquess of Ormond.

Why the Battle Happened

In early 1643, the Marquess of Ormond was the leader of King Charles' army in Ireland. He felt he needed to act against the Confederates in Leinster. On March 2, Ormond left Dublin with about 3,700 soldiers. He began marching towards the port town of New Ross, which is on the River Barrow.

Ormond had several goals for this trip. He wanted to stop the Confederates' supplies. He also hoped to get more food and materials for his own army. Most importantly, he aimed to destroy the Confederate army in Leinster.

Royalists March to New Ross

When Ormond's army left Dublin, the Confederates knew they were coming. Thomas Preston, the Confederate leader in Leinster, quickly started to prepare. He tracked Ormond's movements and tried to slow them down. Preston also gathered his local soldiers to form a strong fighting force. He wanted to be ready to face Ormond's army.

New Ross is about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Dublin. The area Ormond's army marched through was controlled by the rebels. After the Irish Rebellion of 1641 began, many English people had left this part of Leinster. The Confederates had many strongholds there.

Along the way, Ormond's soldiers had small fights with rebel groups. They were delayed when they had to capture and destroy a small castle in Timolin. They used their cannons for this. After nine days of marching, the Royalists finally reached New Ross.

Attacking New Ross Town

The main part of New Ross was on the east side of the River Barrow. It had earth walls and basic town walls to the north, east, and south. When Ormond arrived, he surrounded the town. He began firing cannons at the east wall.

When a hole opened in the wall, Ormond's foot soldiers charged. They tried to enter the town. Meanwhile, the cannons started firing at the north wall. But the Royalists could not get into the town. The town's defenders were in good positions. Also, rain made it hard for the Royalist musketeers to shoot effectively.

More Confederate soldiers arrived at New Ross by river. The Irish then changed the battle. They came out of the town and captured the Royalist cannons that were hitting the north wall. They also secured the hole in the wall. Ormond stopped his attack. He tried to block off New Ross, hoping to force the rebels to give up.

However, after six days, supplies from Dublin did not arrive. Ormond also learned that Thomas Preston and the Confederate Army had reached Old Ross. This town was eight kilometers (5 miles) to the east. Ormond worried his army might get trapped between New Ross and Preston's army. So, he decided to end the siege and return north to Dublin. If the campaign had ended there, it would have been a complete failure for Ormond.

The Marquess of Ormond, painted by William Wissing.

The Battle at Ballinvegga

On the morning of March 18, 1643, Ormond started his journey back to Dublin. He took a different route than before. A few kilometers north of New Ross, near the small village of Ballinvegga, the Royalists saw something. They had accidentally marched towards where Preston's Confederate Army had gathered. Preston did not want Ormond to just go home. He had stayed in the area, hoping to stop and fight the Royalist army.

The land was hilly. Ormond quickly took control of a high spot and set up his cannons. Then, he arranged his soldiers. His foot soldiers were in the middle, and his cavalry (soldiers on horseback) were on the sides. To Ormond's north, in a small valley across a stream, Preston's Confederate army blocked the way.

Preston's forces moved forward, crossing the stream at a shallow point. As soon as a Confederate group reached the other side, their cavalry charged uphill towards the Royalists. Ormond responded by firing his cannons. The cannon fire hit the Confederate cavalry hard. This caused them to fall back into their own foot soldiers.

Ormond kept firing his cannons at the rebel foot soldiers in the valley. Preston continued his attack. He sent a second group of cavalry up the hill. They tried to capture the Royalist cannons. As the rebel cavalry moved up the hill, Ormond sent his own cavalry from his right side to meet them.

For a while, the battle was mostly cavalry fighting. Then, Sir Francis Willoughby led his foot soldiers and the rest of the Royalist cavalry down the hill. They charged into the Confederate lines. The rebels were already weakened by the cannon fire. They broke apart and started to run back across the river. Willoughby and the Royalists chased the Confederates across the river. This caused Preston's entire army to break and run away.

After the battle, people talked about the terrible damage from the cannons. They said, "what goodlie men and horses lay there all torn and their guttes lying on the ground - armes cast away and strewed over the fields." It is thought that the Confederates lost about 500 men in the battle. The Royalists, however, only lost about 20 men.

What Happened Next

Preston and his army ran west across the River Barrow. They destroyed the bridges behind them. This was the first battle where Preston was the commander of the Confederates' Leinster Army. He had joined the Irish Rebellion in 1641. Before that, he had served in the Irish Regiment of the Spanish army. He fought in Flanders during the Eighty Years' War. When Preston became commander of the Leinster army, people thought highly of his military skills. Even though Preston continued to lead the Confederate's Leinster Army, the defeat at Ballinvegga hurt his reputation.

Ormond returned safely to Dublin. The Confederates did not bother him again. Even though Ormond had clearly beaten the Confederates at Ballinvegga, some people criticized him. His rivals said he should have captured New Ross. They also felt he should have completely destroyed the Confederates' Leinster Army.