The battle of New Ross was the bloodiest of the 1798 rebellion. The southern force of the Wexford rebels had swelled to almost 10,000 by the morning of 5 June. Most of this force was armed only with pikes. If they could succeed in taking New Ross, the way would be open to spread the rebellion into Kilkenny.
The crown forces also knew of the importance of keeping New Ross. They had expected the attack from the rebels to come since 30 May. In the week in between, they had prepared the town's defences. They dug trenches around it and placed canons facing all the main streets, so they could fire directly at the rebels when they charged on foot.
The crown forces also knew of the importance of keeping New Ross. They had expected the attack from the rebels to come since 30 May. In the week in between, they had prepared the town's defences. They dug trenches around it and placed canons facing all the main streets, so they could fire directly at the rebels when they charged on foot.
The Battle of New Ross
In a powerful charge, rebels pushed into the heart of the town and almost drove the British garrison out. However, they had very limited weaponry, and were mainly dependent on pikes. They could not defend their position as well as the crown forces. The government troops had regained control of the entire town by nightfall.
In one day, the rebels had lost more than 2,000 men. The British garrison lost 200. The fighting was merciless on both sides. In one incident, the garrison set fire to a house with seventy men inside. All of the men were burned to death, except one.
Scullabogue Massacre
The rebels who were part of the southern division, based at Carrickbyrne, rounded up and imprisoned government loyalists who lived in the surrounding countryside. These included men, women and children, most of whom were Anglicans. More than 100 of these people were imprisoned a mile from the rebels' camp, in farm buildings in a place called Scullabogue.
News came through to those guarding the prisoners of massacres and acts of cruelty committed against the United Irishmen by government forces during the Battle of New Ross. The rebels at Scullabogue were very angry about this and wanted revenge. In an atrocity of their own, they shot thirty of the loyalist prisoners dead, all of them men. Around eighty more people were burned to death in a barn, including women and children.
Some of those who took part in the atrocity were rebel Anglicans. In many ways, these tragic acts from both sides of the conflict were the beginning of the end of the 1798 Rebellion in Wexford. The United Irishmen leaders in Wexford began to lose trust in their soldiers' ability to behave with dignity and honour.