Raid on Newry

Part of Williamite War in Ireland

Date	24 November 1689
Location	Newry, County Down, Ireland
Result	Williamite victory

Belligerents

Williamite forces

Jacobite forces

Commanders and leaders

Toby Purcell

Marquis de Boisseleau

Strength

200+

1,700+

The Raid on Newry took place in November 1689 during the Williamite War in Ireland when a Franco-Irish force loyal to James II attacked the Williamite garrison of Newry in County Down. The Raid was carried out by the French Major General Alexandre de Rainier de Droue, Marquis de Boisseleau a French officer serving with James' Irish Army. It was largely unsuccessful and the Jacobite forces withdrew having suffered casualties.

After capturing Carrickfergus in August 1689 and advancing towards Dublin, the Williamite commander Marshal Schomberg had halted his army at Dundalk Camp during a stand-off with the Jacobite forces defending the capital. In November Schomberg dispersed his forces into winter quarters across Ulster.

As soon as Schomberg had withdrawn from Dundalk, the Jacobites issued orders to Boisseleau to lead a force to Newry with the intention of rolling-up the various Williamite garrisons in the area. Boisseleau's force, which consisted of 1,700 infantry accompanied by six troops of cavalry and dragoons left on 23 November and reached the River Clanrye at dawn on 24 November. Colonel Toby Purcell the commander at Newry, had several companies of Sir Henry Ingoldsby infantry regiment as a garrison. Purcell had deployed his troops by sending detachments to various crossings and strongpoints in the area leaving him only sixty troops in Newry itself, twenty of whom were not fit for duty.

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Wikipedia