The Fort at Enniskillen
From Derry and Enniskillen in the Year 1689 by Thomas Witherow
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CHAPTER VI...continued
THE FORT AT ENNISKILLEN.—May.
The protection of the town waa entrusted to the Governor and a Council, consisting of the leading fficers and Mr. Kelso, the Presbyterian minister. They took measures to have the town watched and guarded, to have provisions stored, to have all boats on the Lake brought to Enniskillen so as to prevent surprise by water, to keep the cannon and firearms fit for service, to send out a horse guard every night to scour the country, so as to prevent any sudden attack, and to do everything that was necessary for fortifying the town. To do this more effectually, a fort was constructed at the east end, under the superintendence of Major Hart and Major Rider. This work was not completed till June; and when completed, it was joined to the east bridge by a line of communication, and it commanded not only the town, but the roads leading to it on the eastern side.[29]
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NOTES
[29] MacCarmick, p. 42.
Derry and Enniskillen in the Year 1689
Thomas Witherow's thoroughly researched and well-annotated work is a classic account of the Siege of Derry, from the shutting of the gates against the Jacobite forces by the thirteen apprentice boys to the relief of the city by Major-General Kirke's fleet in July 1689. The defence of Enniskillen and the counteroffensive actions of the Enniskilleners is also ably documented.
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Fighters of Derry
William R. Young’s Fighters of Derry has for decades been one of the most overlooked works on the Siege of Derry and as a local genealogical resource. First published in 1932, the book was the product of ten years’ research into identifying participants at the siege which the author undertook when suffering from ill-health in the latter part of his life.
The book is essentially divided into two parts: the first contains 1660 biographical entries relating to the defenders of Derry, tracing, where possible, the family lineage; and the second part includes 352 entries on the Jacobite side. Apart from individual accounts of eminent protagonists in the siege, such as David Cairnes, Rev. George Walker, the Duke of Schomberg, Patrick Sarsfield, etc., there is also background given to many of the most influential families involved in the conflict.
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The Actions of the Enniskillen-men
While the epic siege of Derry is usually accorded its proper place in history, the contemporaneous exploits of the Enniskillen men are often overlooked. This is manifestly unjust because the Enniskilleners demonstrated bravery and heroism in battle at least equal to that of the defenders of Londonderry. Some, of course, rate the actions of the Enniskillen men more highly. As far as Revd Andrew Hamilton, the Rector of Kilskeery and author of A True Relation of the Actions of the Inniskilling Men (1690), was concerned ‘The Derry men saved a city but the Enniskilleners saved a kingdom.’
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