Memoirs of Major Alexander Ramkins (1718)

by Daniel Defoe

easy to guess how the Gross of the Army was provided. According toour Expectation, a Party of the Enemy fell into the Trap, and what Shotwe had, we let it successively fly at them out of the Orchard; in themean time, we heard a great Noise behind us, and turning my self about,I saw the Orchard almost surrounded with Horse, which I expected weresome of our own Party coming up to support us, but found them to be aSquadron of the Enemy, who immediately summon'd us to yield, or we mustexpect the last Fate of War. There was no time to Parley, upon which Imade a Sign to the Commanding Officer of the Enemy not to proceed toSlaughter, and so out of Twenty Two Men with which I defended that Post,Nine of us fell into the Enemies Hands, the rest dying bravely in theEngagement. Our Entertaintment was what is usually with Prisoners ofWar, Hunger and hard Lodgings, but in a little Time being remov'd to_Dublin_, Things were better with me; I had the Liberty of a largePrison and civil Usage. And here it was I met with an excellent Friend,who never fail'd those who make Application to him, I mean a small Bankof Money which my Brother left me, and which I had sent to _Dublin per_Bill from _Newry_, that I might run no hazard of being plunder'd in caseof a Defeat, and in this I have often applauded my own Caution, thatthough I have frequently hazarded my Life, I never risqu'd my Substance;if Death happen'd, I was certain of being provided for; and ifImprisonment, I had what wou'd make my Captivity easy, and perhaps,purchase my Enlargement.

  'Tis not a being in a Battle that makes a Person a capable Judge how todescribe it; every Officer has his Post which he must not depart from,and though he may be able to describe the Situation of the Troops beforean Engagement, yet afterwards during the Fight, there is so much Noise,Smoak and Confusion, that for my part, I scarce can give a trueNarration of what happen'd within a dozen Yards compass. Upon thisAccount, I cannot tell in what manner the _French_ Troops behav'dthemselves, but I was inform'd they made a tollerable Stand against King_William_'s Army, but that they quickly chang'd it into a running Fight,and very dexterously convey'd both King _James_ and themselves out ofDanger, and in a little time out of the Kingdom, directing their Marchto the next Seaport Town, which was not in the Enemies Hands, fromwhence they found their way Home. If these Troops were serviceable atthe _Boyne_, they certainly might have been much more useful, if theyhad remain'd and assisted the _Irish_ the remainder of the War; but theyhad shown themselves, and that was enough to answer the politick Endsfor which they were sent. 'Tis suppos'd after this Defeat at the_Boyne_, that King _James_ was aware of the _French_ Politics, and sowould ne'er think of returning in Person again into _Ireland_, it beingabundantly sufficient if he left two or three active Generals among 'emto Alarm the Enemy and do the Drudgery of the _French_ Court, in makinga Diversion to favour his Conquests in other Parts of the World. But toreturn to the Series of my own Story, I had now obtain'd Liberty of theCity of _Dublin_ upon Paroll, and spent my Life pretty agreeable,especially when I understood that a kind of a Cartel was fix'd, andthere was no Danger of a Halter. My long stay in _Dublin_ brought meacquainted with several General Officers of King _William_'s Army, whowere my Countrymen and well acquainted with my Family. The great Respectthey showed me, was, as I perceiv'd at long run, in order to debauch mefrom King _James_'s Service; but it was not in my power at that time, toremove the Scruples I was entangled in as to the Revolution; besides Ihad other Motives urgent enough not to engage in the _English_ Service,till I had seen a little more Abroad. But in the midst of all theDisasters I met with, nothing affected me with a more sensible Griefthan the Thoughts of _Lewis_ the XIVth's Insincerity, for though it onlyrid my Mind in the Nature of a Scruple or first Impression, yet I foundit grow daily more and more upon me, and often in the height of myDiversions it lay upon my Stomach like an indigested Meal; yet at thesame time I durst not mutter the least of this Matter to the greatestConfident I had in the World; for I was sensible what would be theConsequence of such a Liberty of Speech, and that nothing less thanperpetual Imprisonment in the _Bastile_ must have atton'd for the Crime,and that King _James_ wou'd have look'd upon himself as oblig'd to havejustify'd the Conduct of _France_, though perhaps he lay under the sameJealousies with myself in regard of _French_ Politics. How often have I,when I have been alone, exaggerated my Folly in engaging in a Cause,which the principal Agent never design'd to bring to an Issue? but thenagain I have corrected my self for giving way to a false Impression, andcondemning the Conduct of so many Thousands who had more Experience thanI could lay claim to, and yet willingly went all the Lengths of the_French_ Court. Now as I always had a great Respect for Men of Years andExperience, so I was resolv'd to silence all the Scruples relating to_French_ Politicks, and see an end of the _Irish_ War, not so much underthe Influence of a _French_ Power (which never did any real Service toKing _James_ in _Ireland_) but because so many worthy Gentlemen eagerlypursue the Cause, whom I had Reason to think were better Judges of suchhigh Matters than my self. And what in the next place I was toundertake, was how to be releas'd from my Confinement, in which I cou'dfind no Difficulty besides a breach of Paroll, my Person being every Dayat Liberty, but understanding that several Persons in the sameCircumstances with my self, were partly conniv'd at when they made theirEscape. I took the same Method, and rather chose to walk off, than waitto be exchang'd, or Bribe for my Enlargement. Perhaps the Reader willexpect here to be entertain'd with the remaining Part of the _Irish_War, especially where I was employ'd; but he must be content to beinform'd in General, That as I made it a Law with my self ne'er to omitany Occasion of improving my self in the Art of War, so I tookparticular care not to be upon any Foreign Duty in the Day of Action. Iwas wounded at the Battle of _Aghram_, where I had one of my Legs broke,and lost two Fingers with the cut of a Sabre. I was at the first Siegeof _Limerick_, and help'd to surprize the Enemy's flying Camp andProvisions they were carrying to supply the main Army that was carryingon the Siege. Afterwards I entred the Town, and remain'd there duringthe Siege, having the Liberty to pass over into _France_ with the restof the _Irish_ Troops upon the Articles of _Limerick_; but there was oneremarkable Passage happen'd to me during the Siege of that Town, which Icannot dispense with my self to pass over in Silence; it was rather acasual Matter, than a Design laid, however it equally answer'd the end.At one of the Sallies, in which we design'd to overthrow a Mount theyhad made to raise a Battery upon, after a smart Engagement, it being inthe Night, I had the opportunity to step aside and strip a _Dutch_Granadier, and immediately putting on his Cloaths I mingled my self withthe Enemy's Battalions as they drew back towards their Camp, thusunperceiv'd I had the opportunity the next Morning to view their Worksand make my Remarks. But now I was somewhat at a loss how to make a handof this Stratagem and get back into the Town, nor was I less concern'dhow to avoid being discover'd as not belonging to the Enemy; but theConfusion they were in the next Day in burying their Dead and repairingtheir Works, made me pass undiscover'd till Night, so about Nine atNight when it was throughly dark, I stole to that Side of the Town whichlies next to the Sea, and swimming over undiscover'd, I crept under theWall, and calling softly upon the next Centinel, I inform'd him who Iwas, bidding him call to the Captain of the next Guard, and bring a Ropeand two or three Soldiers to hall me up. I was very welcome to theGarrison, for 'twas suppos'd, I was either kill'd or taken Prisoner inthe Sally. This Stratagem, though I had no Design in it at our attackingthe Enemy, it being only a sudden Thought, yet it had a very good Event;for the next Sally we made, as I had observ'd, the weakest Part of theBesiegers Works, so I lead a Party of Resolute Men that way, who lost noTime, but levell'd all their Works, and dragg'd a considerable Bootyinto the Town.

  The Wars of _Ireland_ being at an End, and the Articles of _Limerick_Sign'd, about 15000 regular Troops were Transported into _France_,besides several Thousands of others, who all proved as useful to theMonarch of _France_ in his Wars in _Italy, Spain, Germany, &c._ as theyhad been in making a Three Years Diversion in _Ireland_, so happy was_France_ in making a Politick use of King _James's_ Misfortune, that_Lewis_ XIV was much a greater Gainer by hi
s being Banish'd, than if hehad remain'd in the quiet Possession of his Throne. And now there wereseveral Speculations, what Method the _French_ King wou'd take to makethe World believe he had a Design to reinstall King _James_. The mostdirect Means was to attempt a Descent, but this was impracticable by theway of _Ireland_; for if an Army of 30000 Men cou'd not keep it whenthey were actually in Possession of it, there was no likelyhood of theirsucceeding in a Descent, nor was it probable, that _France_ would addmore Force to them who had so often refus'd them when they were inCircumstances to receive. The most favourable Interpreters of the_French_ King's Politicks,