Militia view of July 22nd incident

THE IRISH MILITIA
1793 – 1816

A Social and Military Study

By
Sir Henry McAnally

Clonmore and Reynolds, Dublin
Eyre and Spottiswoode, London


THE MILITIA IN 1806

P201 –202


An affray which happened during the repatriation marches of the light infantry companies caused considerable sensation. It throws light on the clannishness which was at all periods very characteristic of the Irish militia units. In Ireland at that time there was the king’s German legion, about 9,000 strong. Some 900 of these were lying at Tullamore. The light infantry companies of the Londonderry, Monaghan, Sligo and Limerick (county), passing through Tullamore when an incident arose. It possibly originated in a Hanoverian soldier attempting to take by force from a small drummer boy of the Monaghan company a switch ‘ on which the boy seemed to affix much value ‘. The boy apparently complained to a militiaman, using offensive language about the German. Then some more militiamen came and fell violently on the German. With the arrival on the scene of more of the German soldiers there was a general mêlee. But the Germans were more numerous and the militiamen had consequently to fall back, but not before they had attempted to rescue one of their comrades who was being conveyed to the guardhouse. Then more Germans came on the scene. The retreating militiamen began to fire. The whole affair took place after 8 p.m. but the townspeople did not become involved. The march of other light companies through Tullamore was, next morning, stopped. But, before this had been done, the Wexford light company had come in and halted for the night. Still’ nothing unpleasant occurred between the privates and the officers of both corps passed the evening together, those of the Wexford having been invited by the Germans to their mess ‘. In this encounter the militia had nine wounded of whom one died, from a bayonet stab. The German legion had several wounded ; twelve by ball, three by bayonet and seven by cudgel; one of these died. The conduct of the Germans in the town is stated to have been good and no racial antipathy was anticipated from the deplorable affair.
This was more a sudden emotional storm that anything else. The conclusion cannot be drawn from it that the units were lawless..

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