Lord Edward Fitzgerald
Lord Edward Fitzgerald joined the United Irishmen in 1796. He was motivated by enthusiasm for the ideals of the French Revolution. In May of 1798, the government offered a £1000 reward for Fitzgerald's arrest. He was caught and died of a bullet wound at Newgate Jail on 4 June 1798.
Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.Lord Edward Fitzgerald
Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.
Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.
Lord Edward Fitzgerald
Lord Edward Fitzgerald joined the United Irishmen in 1796. He was motivated by enthusiasm for the ideals of the French Revolution. In May of 1798, the government offered a £1000 reward for Fitzgerald's arrest. He was caught and died of a bullet wound at Newgate Jail on 4 June 1798.
Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.
The British army heard about the ships and they knew that the United Irishmen were planning a big fight. They decided to destroy the United Irishmen. They imprisoned many of the leaders of the movement and warned people to tell them about any United Irishmen that they knew.
The government tried to stamp out rebellion. They got information from many spies and posted notices warning people to hand over any weapons they had. Houses were searched, especially the homes of blacksmiths because they were known to make a weapon called a pike. Leaders of the rising were arrested.
The government needed more soldiers in Ireland to put down any fighting. In 1796, a group of soldiers called Yeomanry were set up. These were civilians who were put into groups as soldiers. There were also other soldiers who were forced to join a group called the militia. There were also paid soldiers from Germany who were known as Hessians.
The army inflicted terror on the countryside. Many ordinary people were flogged and tortured to punish them for supporting a rebellion against the king or to try to get information from them. Houses were burned and property was stolen or destroyed. Anyone suspected of being a rebel was shot. This cruel treatment by the army made many people join the fight against the government troops.