Laggan Army facts for kids
The Laggan Army was a special group of soldiers. They were formed by Protestant settlers in a fertile area called the Laggan district. This area is in the east of County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland. They created this army during a big uprising in Ireland in 1641, known as the Irish Rebellion of 1641.
Why the Army Was Formed
After a war called the Nine Years' War, many Irish leaders left Ireland in 1607. This event is known as the Flight of the Earls. After they left, the King of England started a plan called the Plantation of Ulster. This plan brought English and Scottish settlers to live in Ulster. They settled on land that used to belong to the Irish chiefs.
In 1641, the Irish people started a rebellion. It was led by Felim O'Neill of Kinard. They wanted to end unfair treatment against Catholics. They also wanted more control over Ireland and to get some of their land back. The rebellion was meant to be peaceful, but it quickly became violent. Many Protestant settlers were attacked.
Thousands of Protestant settlers had to leave their homes. Their houses were burned, and their belongings were taken. Many attacks involved robberies and assaults. If settlers fought back, they were often killed. Thousands of Protestants looked for safety in strongholds or tried to leave Ireland. They wanted to go back to England and Scotland.
Protestant groups and soldiers from England and Scotland fought back. They often showed no mercy to rebels who surrendered. News reports in Britain made the violence against Protestants seem even worse than it was. Some reports wrongly claimed that over 200,000 Protestants were killed. This was believed, even though it was almost twice the number of Protestants living in Ireland at the time.
In 1642, a Scottish army arrived in Ulster. Their job was to protect the settlers. Before this, Protestants had to defend themselves. They formed their own groups, like the Laggan Army. Even after the Scottish army arrived, the Laggan Army kept fighting in Ulster. They often worked with the Scottish soldiers.
Over time, the violence against ordinary people on both sides began to calm down. This was partly because an experienced Irish general named Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill arrived in Ireland. He had fought in wars in Europe. He started to train the Irish army and stopped his soldiers from attacking innocent people. This helped reduce the violence from Protestants too.
How the Laggan Army Was Created
Rich Protestant landowners in northwest Ulster decided to protect their homes. People like Sir William Cole and the brothers Sir William Stewart and Sir Robert Stewart organized local armies. The Stewarts were Scottish settlers. They had served King Charles I of England in the military.
King Charles had given the Stewarts large areas of land. This was because they were loyal to him. They had to improve the land and bring new settlers from England or Scotland.
When the rebellion started, King Charles quickly allowed the Stewarts to create a military force. It was to have 1,000 foot soldiers and a group of horsemen. This force became known as the Laggan Army. At first, their job was to protect the Laggan Valley. This area is in eastern Donegal and parts of counties Tyrone and Derry.
As the war continued, the Laggan Army became the strongest Protestant army in Ulster. They defended and helped Protestant strongholds. They also escorted people to safe places. They attacked Irish rebels and supported other Protestant groups in many battles.
Sir William Stewart was the first leader of the Laggan Army. He was older and owned more land than his brother. But soon, Robert Stewart took over as the main commander. He had a lot of experience from fighting in the Thirty Years' War in Europe. Robert Stewart was very good at finding and training soldiers. His troops had better weapons, especially muskets, than the rebels they fought. Most importantly, Stewart knew a lot about battle plans and how to win.
Battles and Campaigns
On June 16, 1642, the Laggan Army fought a large Irish force. This battle was at battle of Glenmaquin, near Raphoe. The Irish army was led by Phelim O'Neill. They wanted to take over northwestern Ulster and the port city of Derry. But the Laggan Army defeated them. Then, the Laggan Army captured several towns in Ulster. This ended the Irish threat in that area for a while.
The Laggan Army continued to serve King Charles. They fought during the First English Civil War and the Eleven Years' War. On June 13, 1643, Robert Stewart and the Laggan Army defeated General Owen O'Neill at the Battle of Clones. On July 8, 1645, the Laggan Army helped Sir Charles Coote capture the town of Sligo.
In 1646, the Laggan Army was part of a plan to attack Owen Roe O'Neill. They were supposed to join two other armies. But on June 4, before they could meet, one of the other armies was badly defeated by Owen Roe O'Neill at the Battle of Benburb. After this, the Laggan Army went back to Derry and Enniskillen. They got ready for a possible attack from the Irish army.
After a failed attack on Derry in 1649, the Laggan Army began to fall apart. Some groups within the army changed sides. They started to support the Parliamentarians. They even fought against their former friends in battles like Lisnagarvey, Scarrifholis, and Charlemont. By the end of 1649, the Laggan Army was no longer an effective fighting force. It broke up because of disagreements among its members.
