The Felon's Track; Or, History of the Attempted Outbreak in Ireland: Embracing the Leading Events in the Irish Struggle From the Year 1843 to the Close of 1848Doheny, Michael
History
The Felon's Track; Or, History of the Attempted Outbreak in Ireland: Embracing the Leading Events in the Irish Struggle From the Year 1843 to the Close of 1848
Doheny, Michael
Ireland -- History -- Rising of 1848; Young Ireland Party -- History; Young Ireland movement
step in revolution and action is the most trying to the courage and
faith of undisciplined men. In this instance it produced fatal results.
The weakness of the timid increased, and the courage of the boldest was
quelled. Suspicion was aroused, and desertion was the inevitable
consequence. O'Mahony found it impossible to withstand the clamorous
urgency of the men, and all his preparations were necessarily of a
hasty and imperfect character. The arrival of the party from Kilkenny
was the utmost limit of inaction that would be endured; and the leaders
saw with regret that they had yielded too soon to the demands of those
who precipitated the rising. The true guarantee of success would consist
in perfect preparation under cover of secrecy, so as that the assembling
could be followed by an immediate blow.
Scouring parties from each rendezvous, proceeded through the country in
search of arms. Provisions were liberally supplied by the neighbouring
farmers, and numbers were hourly arriving from distant parts of the
country. But those who were engaged in the search for arms attacked
police barracks and private houses. In general, these enterprises were
rash, ill-advised and ill-arranged. In some instances they were
successful, and in some they were repulsed with loss of life, while the
police were able to effect a safe retreat. At the Tipperary side, two
men were killed in the attack on the Glenbour barracks; and at the
Waterford side, one man was shot at Portlaw in the assault on the
police-barrack, and two in the attack on the Reverend Mr. Hill's house.
These repulses checked the ardour of the boldest, and gave rise to
disunion and distrust. Meantime, the promised reinforcements from
Kilkenny failed to redeem the pledge that was given in their name. A
whole day and night passed, and no tidings of them arrived. Several of
those who were loudest and most urgent left the camp. A very large
force, however, remained; but after delaying two days without hearing of
the Kilkenny men, they determined to disperse. The party at Portlaw
adopted the same resolution, and O'Mahony and Savage had to shift for
themselves. A reward was offered for O'Mahony, but he eluded his
pursuers, and in a few days was beyond their reach. He embarked at
Bonmahon in the county of Waterford and crossed to Wales, where he was
concealed for some time until he found an opportunity of escaping to
France. Savage, whose person was not much known, made his way to Dublin,
whence he sailed for America direct.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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