|
|
|
|
Marquis de St Ruth
|
| |
|
| |
Charles Chalmont, Marquis of St Ruth (died 12 July 1691) was a French general. He earlier fought against Protestants in France, and he fought in Ireland on the Jacobite side in the Williamite wars, where he was killed at the Battle of Aughrim..
r the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 an exodus of thousands of Protestants in the Geneva direction from France. France exerted much pressure upon the Duchy of Savoy that the fleeing Protestants to Geneva be arrested and handed over.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Marquis de St Ruth' Start a new discussion about 'Marquis de St Ruth' Answer questions from other users |
Encyclopedia
Charles Chalmont, Marquis of St Ruth (died 12 July 1691) was a French general. He earlier fought against Protestants in France, and he fought in Ireland on the Jacobite side in the Williamite wars, where he was killed at the Battle of Aughrim..
After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 an exodus of thousands of Protestants in the Geneva direction from France. France exerted much pressure upon the Duchy of Savoy that the fleeing Protestants to Geneva be arrested and handed over. The duke was not in a position to accept another new war and yet another French occupation. The marquis de Saint-Ruth, the general of the King of France ordered to burn the dwellings if " the Ternier clann and the Gaillard clann did not pay the eight quarter and a half (tax) of the normal, plus 8 other quarters to the contribution of war that one had just imposed by the king". The population, in front of a dilemma had to pay the tax to le marquis de Saint-Ruth.
In Ireland at this time, continuous guerrilla activity persisted, however, along the rough line of demarcation. In the spring of 1691, James’s Lord Lieutenant, Earl of Tyrconnell, the viceroy returned to Ireland, followed by the distinguished French general the Marquis of Saint Ruth, who was commissioned as Commander-in Chief of the Jacobite royalist army. Saint-Ruth was a man of great courage and resolution but his name was synonymous with the merciless suppression and torture of the Protestants of France, including those of the district of Orange in the South, of which William was Prince.
In Savoy
In 1690, the Marquis de Saint Ruth sieged the town of Annecy, played a winning part in the Battle of Staffarda among others because "la Savoie" was again at war with France. He directed the operations of le château d'Aléry.
Actuelly, le château d' Aléry that belongs to that family Aussedat has been restaured.
Arrival to Ireland
On about 20th. March, the general St. Ruth arrived at Limerick from Brest, France, with the lieutenants-general and the governor. At his landing on the quay he was saluted by a discharge of the artillery from the castle. Proceeding he found the soldiery of the town ranged on each side of the street. The viceroy came to meet him a hundred paces from his palace, and gave him the bien-venu into Ireland, and then brought him to dinner. In the evening he was lodged in a house prepared for his residence. Along with St. Ruth came a fleet, bringing arms, clothes for several regiments, powder, ball, a considerable quantity of oats, of meal, of biscuit, of wine and brandy, which was much appreciated in the country. In a few days after, the general began to apply himself to his charge, and I issued orders that the army should prepare to take the battle-field, except such battalions as were posted for the defence of a few important towns which remained in the possession of the loyal party, as Limerick, Galway, Athlone, and Sligo, besides some petty holds.
April came, the Netherlands baron de Ginkel, general of the prince of Orange's army, issued commands that his troops should quit their quarters and march to the town of Mullingar, in the county of Westmeath, some twenty miles from Athlone, there to rendez-vous, and from there to begin the battle campaign. In compliance to which commands, some regiments actually arrived thereat on 27 April; the rest of the Williamite soldiers were in their march to arrive there.
On the Jacobite side the marquis de St. Ruth sent forth the similar orders, that the king James's army should march out of their quarters to Athlone, and encamp near-by, on Connaught side of the Shannon, having understood that general Ginkel designed to open the campaign by the siege of Athlone, in order to enter into the province of Connaught, from there to obtain entire possession of the Irish. In order to do so, several foot-soldier regiments came there, in the beginning of May. Their cavalry at the same time was marching from all parts.
By the beginning of June, William of Orange's English, Danish, German, Netherlands, and Huguenot army was assembled at Mullingar, and on 6 June, they began their march towards Athlone, with intention to take that great pass into Connaught. On 7 June, they came to the village of Ballymore, on the road, and in the middle between Mullingar and Athlone. There is a fort close by it at the side of a lough, which was a little fortified by the Irish the last Winter.
The Siege of Athlone
The town of Athlone was defended well for many days, however a succession of Jacobite underestimation, and bad judgement were to alter the course of history.
St. Ruth, hearing the town of Athlone was taken, fell into a sensible grief. However, he ordered some troops to march down, and retrieve the place if it was practicable. But the officers observing that the entrenchment was extraordinarily guarded, and might be supported by the hostile army, they returned to their camp.
The loss of Athlone on the 13th. June uprated the judgment against the Tyrconnell opponents of this opinion, which, if it were followed, would have preserved Athlone town, and by the same occasion, the province of Connaught. When the news of this misfortune came to the duke of Tyrconnell, then at Limerick, he groaned thereat and redoubled his sorrow that he was so unfortunate as not to be believed when he proposed clear and sure ways of saving his country from a total ruin. However, he must needs again deliver his opinion concerning the operation of the remaining campaign, which is, he would not now lay the kingdom upon a single battle, having heard of such a design, but he would make a defensive and dilatory war in expectation to be superior the next year by succours out of France. In the interim and off-hand (the foot being brought to Limerick) he would send the Irish cavalry over Banagher bridge into the province of Leinster, to bring away from thence great booty, and also recruits from the Catholic inhabitants.
Arrival at Aughrim
But general St. Ruth, knowing that he could not justify his losing of Athlone, at the head of a considerable army, before the king James, his own royal master, thought it not fit to pursue the Tyrconnell's sentiment, and so he chose to put the kingdom upon a fair combat, being unalterably resolved to bury his body in Ireland or regain the country speedily. Whereupon, observing the strength of his army, he commanded the same to decamp from Athlone in the afternoon of that day 30th June, 1691, wherein it was taken. He marched towards Limerick and proceeded with small marches, until he arrived a little beyond the village of Aughrim, 20 miles from Athlone, and some 30 miles from Limerick, in the county of Galway. Viewing the surrounding ground, he judged it convenient for his purposes, and so set-up his camp there, waiting for the enemy. His army faced towards Athlone to the east. In front of his position, were marsh-lands, over which foot-soldiers could come, but not horse_men. At each end of this marsh-lands there was a passage, through which the enemy's horse could come to his right and left flank.
That on the right was a little ford caused by a stream issuing from the marsh-lands. That on the left was an old broken causeway, only large enough for two horses to pass it at a time, and was sixty yards long. Beyond this causeway was the castle of Aughrim, on a line, and on the left within forty yards, into which St. Ruth put on that day colonel Walter Bourk and two hundred men. He marshalled his army in two lines. The cavalry on his right were the regiments of the duke of Tyrconnell, of the earl of Abercorn, of colonel Edmund Prendergast, before this of Sutherland, besides dragoons. This wing was to see that the enemy's horse did not break in on the right of the army through the pass of the ford, and through the narrow ground lying between two morasses alter passing the ford; for the English had double the number in cavalry, though the Irish had some advantage in the infantry.
It was here lieutenant-general de Tessé and major-general Patrick Sarsfield, now earl of Lucan, were posted. The other lieutenant-general, the marquis d'Usson, after the siege of Athlone went to Galway. On the left St. Ruth placed the earl of Lucan's regiment of horse, and those of colonel Henry Luttrell, of colonel John Parker, and colonel Nicholas Purcell, with a body of dragoons. The lord of Galmoy, with his regiment, was put behind the second line of the foot, in the nature of a reserve to answer occasions. The conduct of this left wing was given to major-general Sheldon, the first line of which brigadier Henry Luttrell commanded. Their business was to defend the pass of the causeway, near to which, for more security, there were set two regiments of foot.
Death at the Battle of Aughrim
On Sunday 12 June, during the consecration of the soldiers' 6:00 am mass, the Williamite army was to be perceived arriving from the Ballinasloe direction.
Observing the Williamite force was losing the battle, general Ginkel, seeing that his centre was totally and wholly broken, his left wing to have had massive losses, without being able to have gained their point, that his right wing could not with any safety get over to the left of the Irish, and that the foe was on his field of battle, apparently, he became so disturbed in his thoughts that he could not well resolve what to do, unless to take his flight, of which some marks appeared immediately.
On the Jacobite side, general St. Ruth, remarking the condition of the enemy and his own success, cried out in his language with joy: ‘Le jour est à nous, mes enfants’: ‘the day is our own, my boys.’
The general St. Ruth, having sent his command to the horse-men to march and oppose the enemy at the pass, he himself felt the need go along to see them perform their duty, that there may be no failure in the last scene of this bloody tragedy, victory was within grasp. They moved and the general St.Ruth followed with his guards. While he was riding down a little hill, a cannonball from the other Williamite side, directed by the cannoneer amongst the troops that were going to defend the pass, missing all other soldiers targeted, struck the marquis of St. Ruth in the head, at which he fell, and at the same time it laid the nation prostrate at his feet.
His body was carried it off, and brought the corpse to the town of Loughrea, and there interred it privately. His death was immediately made known by a deserter to the enemy, who thereupon advanced in haste to the pass.
Without direction and coordination a winning battle was turned into yet another battle lost by the Jacobites in this succession of circumstances. After 18:00 about on that Sunday evening St. Ruth was no more of this world, when more than 7,000 European soldiers of different nations went to God.
|
| |
|
|
