Battle of Portlester facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Portlester
Part of Irish Confederate Wars
Date 7 August 1643 Location Portlester, Meath, Ireland Result Confederate victory
Belligerents
Royalists	Irish Confederation
Commanders and leaders
Charles Moore  †	Owen O'Neill
Strength
c. 3,400	c. 1,500
Casualties and losses
c. 200 killed	Light

The Battle of Portlester happened on August 7, 1643. It took place near Ballivor in Ireland. This battle was part of the Irish Confederate Wars. The fight was between the Irish Confederates and a Protestant army from Dublin. The Confederates were led by Owen Roe O'Neill. The Dublin army was led by Lord Moore. The battle mainly involved cannons firing at each other. Lord Moore was killed, and his army had to retreat. This gave the Confederates a victory.

What Led to the Battle?

The Irish Rebellion of 1641 started a big conflict. This led to the creation of the Catholic Confederation. These events began the Irish Confederate Wars, which lasted from 1641 to 1653.

King Charles I and the English Parliament agreed to raise an army. This army was meant to stop the rebellion. It was led by the Earl of Ormonde. He was a Protestant who supported the King.

However, King Charles and Parliament soon started fighting each other. This led to the First English Civil War in August 1642. Because of this, Ormonde could not get more soldiers or money from England. By early 1643, the Confederates controlled most of Ireland. Only Ulster, Dublin, and Cork City remained outside their control.

In the summer of 1643, Owen Roe O'Neill's army moved south. They had been defeated earlier at the Battle of Clones. O'Neill's forces, along with local Confederates, took over several towns. They captured Ballybeg, where they got many supplies. They also took some Protestant people as hostages.

O'Neill's army also got more soldiers from County Longford. These troops were led by Richard O'Farrell. O'Neill's soldiers took many things from the area. This made the local Catholic people angry at O'Neill's army. This problem happened often during the war.

Portlester was a small village in County Meath. It was held by the King's Protestant forces. O'Neill's troops surrounded Portlester Castle. They used cannons to attack its walls. The defenders eventually left the castle. They escaped by crossing a nearby river to safety.

The Battle Begins

O'Neill soon learned that Lord Moore's Protestant army was coming. They were approaching from Athboy. Moore's army had recently received more soldiers. He wanted to test how strong O'Neill's army was. Moore also wanted to stop O'Neill from taking more towns. He also wanted to prevent more damage to the countryside.

O'Neill placed his soldiers in good defensive spots. These were near a river crossing and a flour mill. He then led some of his men forward. They met the enemy, then quickly pulled back. O'Neill wanted to trick Moore's army into bad ground.

As Moore's Protestant soldiers chased them, they faced heavy fire. This was especially true from the mill. O'Neill had placed musketeers there. Faced with strong attacks, Moore's men had to retreat. They regrouped and attacked O'Neill's forces two more times. But they were pushed back each time.

Moore then sent many soldiers to attack the mill. There was fierce hand-to-hand fighting around the mill. At the same time, Moore launched more attacks on the river crossing. O'Neill sent more soldiers to help the mill's defenders. The defenders took fresh ammunition. But they said they did not need more soldiers. They promised to hold the mill no matter what.

While Moore was watching the fighting near the mill, he was hit. A cannonball struck him, killing him instantly. After their leader died, the government forces broke apart and ran away. Some of O'Neill's soldiers wanted to chase them. But O'Neill stopped them. He worried that the retreat was a trick. He also wanted to save his soldiers' strength.

After the Battle

The next morning, the Protestant army went back towards Athboy. Other government soldiers were nearby. These were led by George Monck. But they did not have enough men. So, they marched towards Trim instead.

O'Neill gave gold coins to the mill's defenders. He rewarded them for their bravery. This victory ended a series of defeats for O'Neill's army. However, this defensive battle did not give the Confederates a big advantage. They did not have enough resources to push further east towards Dublin.

Soon after, the Dublin government and the Irish Confederates agreed to stop fighting. This was the first step towards making a peace treaty. They hoped to form an alliance against their shared enemies. These enemies were the Roundhead forces in England.