Battle of Castlebar

Leaving about 200 French regulars behind in Killala to cover his rear and line of withdrawal, Humbert took a combined force of about 2,000 French and Irish on 26 August to march on and take Castlebar. The obvious nature of his objective presented the reinforced British there with the apparent advantage of being able to deploy their forces to face a head-on attack from the Ballina road and their forces and artillery were accordingly arranged. However, locals advised the French of an alternative route to Castlebar through the wilds along the west of Lough Conn, which the British thought impassable for a modern army with attendant artillery train. This route was successfully taken and when Lake’s scouts spotted the approaching enemy, the surprised British had to hurriedly change the deployment of their entire force to face the threat from this unanticipated direction.

During the French march on Castlebar, the tenant at Gore castle, James Cuff put up a rear guard action. The castle was strategically placed along the river Deel, close to the road to Crossmolonia and Castlebar. The castle was originally skirmished with Irish peasants and militia. After a sustained attack French columns were sent in for a frontal assault, the door of the castle was breached and the castle subsequently fell. The few defenders were put to the bayonet. James Cuff and his family escaped the estate however, were not able to warn the British forces at Castlebar of the flanking manoeuvre. The estate house was significantly damaged, many if not all the items which had not be taken to England prior to the invasion were taken, the main stairway was also burnt down leaving the house incredibly damaged but not destroyed.

James Cuff would go on to join with the British forces at the battle of Castlebar, giving displays of heroic rearguard action allowing many troops to escape capture by the French. Mr Cuff would also take part in the mopping up operations of Irish peasantry and had many convicted and hanged for their crimes.

A plaque commemorating the battle

The British had barely completed their new deployment when the Franco-Irish army appeared outside the town at about 6 a.m. The newly sited British artillery opened up on the advancing French and Irish and cut them down in droves. French officers, however, quickly identified an area of scrub and undergrowth in a defile facing the centre of the artillery line which interfered with, and provided some cover from, the British line of fire. The French launched a bayonet charge, the ferocity and determination of which unnerved the units stationed behind the artillery. The militia units began to waver before the French reached their lines and eventually turned in panic and fled the battlefield, abandoning the gunners and artillery. Some soldiers of the Longford and Kilkenny militias ran to join the republicans and even joined in the fighting against their former comrades. A unit of cavalry and British regular infantry attempted to stand and stem the tide of panic but were quickly overwhelmed.

Although achieving a spectacular victory, the losses of the French and Irish were high, losing about 150 men, mostly to the cannonade at the start of the battle. The British suffered over 350 casualties of which about 80 were killed, the rest either wounded or captured, including perhaps 150 who joined the republicans. Following the victory, thousands of volunteers flocked to join the militia who also sent a request to France for reinforcements and formally declared a Republic of Connacht.