CHAPTER IV.
THE ATTACK ON CHURCHTOWN BARRACKS.
The Whiteboys, and their leader, reached Churchtown Barracks aboutmidnight. All was silent when they arrived, except the measured step ofthe sentinel. Darkness covered all things as with a pall. But Cussenknew every inch of the ground, and the darkness, instead of being animpediment, was rather auxiliary to his purpose. He posted his men in afavorable position, and, within ten minutes of their arrival, everythingwas ready, and every one fully instructed as to his particular line ofaction, and was prepared for the manner of the attack.
Churchtown Barracks, in the centre of a very disturbed district, hadformerly been the residence of a private gentleman. When life andproperty had become insecure, afraid of the doom of Major Going, he hadfled the country. Major Going, who had been not only agent to the greatCourtenay estates (Lord Devon's), but also a magistrate, had madehimself unpopular in both capacities. He _would_ have the rent dulypaid at the appointed day, and he sometimes went out of his way, fromexcess of zeal, to show his vigilance as a dispenser of justice, underthe law. After many warnings, which only made him more exacting and moresevere, he was assassinated. His successor, a gentleman named Hoskins,followed the same track--dignified by the name of "the path ofduty,"--and shared the same doom. Not without warning, for, weeks beforethat doom was inflicted, he had heard even his own laborers chaunt theWhiteboy doggerel--
"Hoskins and Going Are nearly one,-- Hoskins is GOING, And Going is GONE!"
The noon-day assassination of two such active magistrates, and theincrease of predial insurrection in the counties of Cork and Limerick,so imperatively called for the allocation of a large and permanentmilitary force at places in or near the disturbed localities, that theIrish Government gladly occupied Churchtown House, at a high rent, astemporary barracks. For some months previous to the night when Cussenand his men appeared before it, several companies of infantry, and twotroops of cavalry, had been stationed at Churchtown, whence, on therequisition of a magistrate, detachments might be detailed for duty, inmore or less force, as circumstances might appear to require.
With the strategy of a clever leader, Cussen had contrived to render theplace comparatively defenceless, by having notices sent to the officerleft in command, that there was to be a midnight assemblage of Whiteboyson the other side of Charleville, and that an attack, to obtain arms,was to be made on a gentleman's residence not far beyond. A strongdetachment of infantry and cavalry was sent off, to arrest the midnightconclave, and to defend the house which was to be the object of attack.
The notice which thus put the authorities on the _qui vive_ came from aschoolmaster, who was deeply involved in the conspiracy of theWhiteboys, and was also in the pay of Government, as a spy. He hadrepeatedly given information to the military. It had been remarked,however,--but more as a matter of curiosity than suspicion,--that whilethey rarely gained anything but fatigue from sallies made at hisinstigation, they never had been successful, but that outrages werepretty sure to be committed, at the same time, in a quarter opposite tothat which he had suggested. In truth, he was a Whiteboy to thebackbone, and a traitor to the authorities who employed him. But, likemost of the peasantry of Limerick county, he was so very plausible inmanmer, stolid in countenance, and impenetrable in well-acted simplicityof speech and act, that his fidelity was not distrusted by themagistracy or the military. The police did not think well of him.
The military force at Churchtown was large enough to be under thecommand of a Field Officer. On this occasion Major White, to whom thatresponsible post had been intrusted, deemed the information sufficientlyimportant to place most of his men on active duty. There remained in thebarrack a few dragoons, a score of infantry, and one subaltern officer.
Hastily as Churchtown House had been converted into a military station,care had been taken to make it assume something of a garrisonappearance. A stone wall had been erected all around the building,inclosing sufficient space as a barrack-yard, in which the soldiersmight attend drill, and go through their exercises. This wall wassomewhat more than breast high. As there was a strong gate at each side,the place was considered quite able to resist any Whiteboy attack. But,indeed, such an act of daring had never been anticipated. Who coulddream that those who dreaded the lion's paw would voluntarily rush intohis mouth?
Having arranged his men for the attack, Cussen did not long keep theminactive. He gave the word, and a volley of slugs rattled against thebarrack windows. The alarm was as immediate as the attack was sudden.The soldiers hastily snatched up their arms, hurried to the windows toobserve whence came the assault, and were "picked out" by the quicksight and sure aim of the assailants, so that some were wounded in theirvery sleeping-rooms. Moving before the lights in those apartments, thesoldiers were palpable objects to the armed men outside.
In a few minutes, the soldiers were arranged in the barrack-yard,startled at the unexpected peril, and ready for defence. At thatinstant, while awaiting the orders of their officer, a second volley wasfired upon them, and with fatal effect. The young subaltern onduty--bewildered by the suddenness and manner of this attack--"lost hishead," as the saying is, and hurriedly gave the order to "Fire!"Becoming rather accustomed to the darkness, the soldiers fancied thatthey saw their assailants outside, partly concealed behind the _front_wall. Each soldier aiming at what he imagined to be the head of anenemy, a straggling peal of musketry followed. The soldiers shouted, andwere about re-loading, when, with fatal precision, a third shower ofslugs and ball, from the Whiteboys, did tremendous execution among them.The beleaguered soldiers even then had not ascertained from what quarterdestruction was thus fiercely poured in upon them.
Notwithstanding, they bore themselves gallantly. Men who had faceddeath, in its worst form, on the field of battle, a few years before,were not likely to quail before such foes as they knew must now bebefore them. The suspense was worse than the reality, for theirignorance of the number and position of their assailants, caused doubtsmore dreadful than would have been the actual knowledge of anascertained peril.
With as little delay as possible, but still only at a venture, thesoldiers fired a second time. Their fire was immediately returned. Bythis time, six soldiers were killed, and ten lay severely wounded on theground. Their officer--a gallant youth who had been at school six monthsbefore--was shocked and surprised at seeing his men thus dropping aroundhim, taken in a trap, as it were, and shot at like so many marks.Feeling that it was madness to remain in their exposed situation, andanxious to give his men a chance for their lives, he ordered them tothrow open the gates, and sally out to meet their enemies face to face,and die--if die they must--in a contest of man to man and hand to hand.
Accordingly, the much-thinned military array, literally
"Few, and faint, but fearless still,"
divided itself--but the alarm and surprise were great when they found itimpossible to open either of the gates. In fact, aware that these gateshad been absurdly constructed and hung to open _out of_, instead of_into_, the barrack-yard, and anticipating the attempt to pass throughthem, Cussen had made one of his few preliminary preparations toconsist of the heaping huge masses of rock against them, so as toprevent their being opened to allow egress to the besieged soldiers.
This disappointment drove the military to desperation. When anothervolley from without struck down two more of them, the remnant of theparty were quite bewildered, and would have fled back into cover, on the_sauve qui peut_ principle, if their officer, as a last resource, hadnot ordered them to scale the walls, and boldly meet rather thanfearfully retreat from the imminent peril.
As with one impulse, rushing forward, they rapidly crossed the frontwall. Here was a new cause for wonder. They found that they had hithertobeen wasting their fire. Cussen, to baffle his opponents, had placed hismen behind each _side_ wall, while, as a decoy, he had made them puttheir hats on that in _front_. Thus, while the fire of the Whiteboys wasmasked, that of the military was thrown away upon the ran
ge of hats infront, which were easily mistaken for men behind the parapet. It was aclever strategy.
When the soldiers dashed over the barrack-wall, they discovered thetrick. The Whiteboys then rushed round from their concealment. Astruggle ensued. Both parties were highly infuriated--one with triumph,the other with rage. The contest, though destructive, was not of manyminutes' continuance. Desperate as was the bravery of the soldiers, theoverpowering force and courage of their opponents were resistless. Thesoldiers had no alternative but to demand quarter. At that word, Cusseninstantly gave orders that the contest should cease. Scarcely any of hisparty had even been wounded, while, on the other side, the young officerwas the only one unharmed. The sergeant who had shot Sheehan (as relatedin the first chapter) was mortally wounded, and lay in the barrack-yard,writhing in agony.
By this time, the barrack had been set fire to, and the flames ragedfiercely. Dismayed, defeated, and surrounded by their opponents, thesoldiers were grouped together on one side. Some twenty or thirtyWhiteboys had gathered around the dying sergeant, watching his agonieswith fiendish joy. "In with him! in with him to the fire! Burn him--burnthe murderer alive!" were exclamations which burst from their lips, andmade the doomed man shudder as he heard. Cussen stood a little alooffrom all; one might have almost taken him for an unconcerned looker-on,as he carelessly stood with his arms folded, a close-fitting skull-capof dark fur upon his head, and a narrow slip of crape concealing theupper part of his face. When the Whiteboys seized the sergeant, with theavowed intent of casting him into the flames, the young officeraddressed Cussen, and earnestly entreated him to prevent so dreadful adeed. "My men have fallen," he said, "but I do not know why they wereattacked. For the love of heaven, do not allow this wretched man tosuffer such a death, in cold blood. Besides, he has a mortal wound. Ifthey want his death, a few hours, at the farthest, will gratify them. Donot let him perish thus."
Cussen answered: "My men came here for revenge upon that man, and I canscarcely prevent their taking it to the fullest. He deserves his death.Blood for blood! When he shot an innocent, unoffending man, as if hewere a dog, he drew this vengeance on himself. Still, it need not bepushed to the extremity they call for. A life for a life is all that canreasonably be required. But--what cries are those?"
Turning round, he saw that the flames had now reached the stables inwhich the horses of the dragoons were. The poor animals were drivenalmost to madness by fear, and their dreadful cries came shrilly andfearfully upon the ear, filling with awe the breasts of those wild men,who, while human agony appealed in vain, shuddered at this painfulmanifestation of deep suffering by the brute creation. Help was out ofthe question, as the flames spread too rapidly for assistance to berendered. The poor animals were literally burned alive, amid the loudlyexpressed pity of the beholders.
From this tragedy they turned to the wounded sergeant. He had breathedhis last while this scene had engaged their attention. They would notbe cheated out of their revenge. With a yell of triumph, they cast hiscorpse into the flames, amid a thousand execrations.
They thus had accomplished their work. Cussen turned to the youngofficer and said: "You are free; but you must pledge me your word thatif you have any personal knowledge of me, or think that you have, youwill never take advantage of it." This pledge the officer firmlydeclined giving. Cussen paused for a few seconds, and replied that itdid not matter: he would draw off his men. Giving the word, they marchedoff in good order--were soon out of sight, and the smoking ruins anddiminished force remained as evidence of that night's tale of ruin.