Just
after 10:00 a.m. on 1 July, 1690, when the tide was at its lowest,
William ordered his troops to attack. Three regiments of Dutch
Guards lead the advance, with Ulster regiments from Derry and
Enniskillen following directly behind. Once across the Boyne,
the Dutch became involved in a fierce battle with Tyrconnell's
crack Irish Guards, who suffered severe losses in the savage house-to-house
fighting for Oldbridge.
Seeing
the severity of the situation, and knowing that if the Dutch retained
their foothold on the south bank and were reinforced the day would
be lost, he ordered his cavalry to attack. The Dutch were able
to repel the attack, while the Irish Guard rallied for another.
Richard Hamilton ordered the Irish infantry to meet the English
and Huguenot regiments that were by then crossing the river, but
instead, they turned and fled.
Although
Huguenot commander Colonel Pierre Ruvigny, comte de Caillemotte,
and Marshall Schomberg were both killed in battle that day, Tyrconnell's
force was simply overwhelmed. The "Inniskillings", as
the Enniskillen troops were known, so impressed William that he
said, "Gentlemen, you shall be my guards today. I have heard
much of you." before leading the charge at Donore. At 2:00
p.m. of that day, a messenger from Tyrconnell reached James, gasping,
"The enemy have forced the pass at Oldbridge. The right wing
is beaten."
From
five miles west of Oldbridge, James could see Schomberg's dragoons
outflanking him to the south. His old friend, Antonin Nompar de
Caumont, comte de Lauzun, argued that there was no alternative
at that point but to withdraw to Dublin soon, before he was cut
off. Patrick Sarsfield's cavalry regiment escorted James to Dublin,
then on to the south coast where a squadron of French frigates
would take him to France.
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