the Anglo-Irish Confederates were inclined to temporize, whilst the Old Irish, headed by Einuccini and supported by O'Neill, opposed all proposals of permanent peace that would not include complete toleration for the Catholics. In November the Su- preme Council commanded him to join his forces to those of Castlehaven, and attack Monro in Munster. The operations during 1644 and 1645 resolved themselves into a series of skirmishes which, while they did not accomplish their end of driving Monro out of Ireland, tended to discipline the Irish troops. Towards the close of 1645 O'Neill quarrelled with Castlehaven, charging him with supineness or cowardice in the opera- tions of the war. Both generals appealed to the Supreme Council, and O'Neill re- tired to Belturbet, where he established his headquarters until the spring of 1646. He was then summoned to Kilkenny by Einuccini, who supplied him with a large portion of the arms he had brought from the Continent ; and, smoothing over the differences between him and his kinsman. Sir Felim O'Neill, induced the latter to consent to serve under him. By the fol- lowing May, Owen had an army of 5,000 foot and 500 horse, with which he marched, about ist June, in the direction of Armagh, to attack Monro. The Scottish general met him with 6,00c infantry and 800 horse, and on the 5th June the battle of Benburb was fought, in which O'Neill was completely victorious. Carte, in his Life of Ormond, thus writes of Monro's defeat : " Sir James Montgomery's regiment was the only one which retired in a body ; all the others fled in the utmost confusion, and most of the infantry were cut in pieces. Colonel Conway, after having two horses shot under him, made his escape almost miraculously to the Newry, with Captain Burke and about forty horse. Lord Mont- gomery was taken prisoner, with about twenty-one officers, and one hundred and fifty common soldiers. There were found three thousand two hundred and forty- three slain on the field of battle, and others were killed next day in the pursuit. O'Neile had only about seventy killed, and two hundred wounded. He took all the Scots' artillery, being four field pieces, with most of their arms, thirty-two colours, their tents and baggage. The booty was very great : one thousand five hundred di-aft horses being taken, and two months' provisions for the Scotch army — enough to serve the Ulster Irish (an hardy people, used to live on potatoes and butter, and content generally with only milk and shoes) double the time. Monro fled without his wigand coatto Lisnegarvy, and immediately
burned Dundrum, deserted Port a Down,
Clare, Glanevy, Downepatrick, and other
places." One of 0' Neill's chaplains carried
the news of the victory to Einuccini at
Limerick on the 13th, and presented to
him the captured colours at the cathedral
with much state. Three days later they
were forwarded to Eome, and the Pope
shortly afterwards sent O'Neill, as an
augury of future victories, the sword of
his distinguished uncle, the Earl of Tyrone.
After this triumph O'Neill's army dis-
persed over Monaghan, Cavan, Leitrim,
and Longford, until the crops should be
ripe, while the wounded were sent to
Charlemont, where Sir Felim O'Neill had
surgeons for them. The account of the
battle posted in the streets of London de-
scribed " the bloody fight at Blackwater,
on the 5 th of June, by the Irish rebels
against Major-General Monro, where 5,000
Protestants were put to the sword." A
message from Einuccini again summoned
O'Neill south, and his army being in-
creased by deserters from Monro and fresh
levies, to 10, 000 foot, and twenty-one troops
of horse, he marched to Kilkenny, and in
conjunction with Preston supported the
cause of the Nuncio and those anxious
to reject the peace ofi'ered by Ormond.
O'Neill and Preston then moved towards
Dublin, in the hope of wresting the city
from Ormond before he could deliver it
into the hands of the Parliamentarians.
The two generals proceeded by different
routes, and pitched their camps between
Lucan and Celbridge. Much animosity
existed between them. O'Neill distrusted
Preston, and Preston was really more
anxious to fall on O'Neill than to march
on Dublin. A month was wasted in con-
tentious bickerings, and when the news
arrived that a large Parliamentarj' force
had been received into the city, O'Neill
collected together his troops by cannon
shot, crossed the Liffey by a temporary
bridge, and retreated to Westmeath, and
afterwards to Connaught. On 8th August
1647, Preston was defeated by General
Jones near Trim, and the safety of the
Supreme Council was left in the hands
of O'Neill, who marched from Sligo, and
kept Jones shut up in Dublin for four
months. At times the citizens could count
from their church-towers two hundred Irish
watch fires. Throughout 1648 O'NeiU ad-
hered to the cause of Einuccini, who still
rejected the peace proposals that did not
provide for the free exercise of the Catholic
religion in Ireland. Preston and other
Confederate generals seceded from the
Nuncio, and proclaimed O'Neill a rebel,
and Lord Inchiquin, hitherto on the side
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