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Quick Facts Date, Location ...

Battle of Clones
Part of the Irish Confederate Wars
Date 13 June 1643 Location Clones, County Monaghan, Ireland Result Royalist victory
Belligerents
Irish Confederates	Royalists
Commanders and leaders
Owen Roe O'Neill	Sir Robert Stewart
Units involved
Ulster Army	Laggan Army
Strength
c. 1,600[1]	c. 3,000[2]
Casualties and losses
c. 150[3]	29[3]

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Clones

Belfast

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Ireland and Clones

The Battle of Clones occurred on 13 June 1643 during the Irish Confederate Wars, when Irish Confederate forces commanded by Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill (Owen Roe O'Neill) were decisively defeated near Clones in County Monaghan by the Protestant Laggan Army commanded by Sir Robert Stewart.

In October 1641 the Irish Rebellion erupted in Ireland. During the early stages of the eleven years of conflict much of the fighting occurred in the northern province of Ulster between Irish Catholic Confederates and Scottish forces. After ten months of fighting with few victories, the Confederation placed Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill, an Irish Catholic patriot and skilled military officer, in charge of their poorly trained Ulster Army hoping that he could reverse their fortunes. Ó Néill attempted to train and strengthen his army over the autumn and winter of 1642–1643 in war torn Ulster, but ultimately determined that he needed to temporarily move his fledgling force to a safer place until they were fully ready to fight.^[4]

Ó Néill's Ulster Army convoy was estimated to be as large as 3,100 individuals when it gathered near Clones. Included in the group were 1,600 fighting men, their families, supply wagons, baggage carts, livestock, and nomadic creaghts with their cattle herds. Of the fighting men in the group, most were untrained, poorly armed foot soldiers. The cavalry units attached to the group were small.^[1][8][12]

As the Ulster Army was traveling to Clones, Stewart learned of their movement. Upon receipt of the intelligence, Stewart assembled his force, estimated to be as large as 3,000 men including both infantry and cavalry units, and made plans to intercept Ó Néill.^[2]

Ó Néill reached Clones before the Laggan Army and continued his march to the south towards Scotshouse. As he was beginning to cross the Finn River where Cumber Bridge is now located,^[21] Ó Néill became aware that Stewart was approaching from the north. Ó Néill wanted to try and get as much of his army across the river and avoid a head-on confrontation with Stewart's army, but in a Council of War it was decided that the Irish would take defensive positions north of the river and fight the Laggan Army.^[8][22]

With no time to construct defensive fortifications, Ó Néill positioned his men along a stone portion of the roadway where for the most part the passage was bordered by bogs. At the narrowest portion of the roadway closest to the approach of the Laggan Army Ó Néill placed 100 musketeers. He then placed the bulk of his infantry in defensive positions along the roadway to the south.^[8][22]

As his infantry was getting into position, Ó Néill led a cavalry detachment north to reconnoiter the advance of Stewart's army and slow them down if possible. As he did so, Ó Néill and his small force came upon the cavalry vanguard of Stewart's army. A short clash of arms occurred with Ó Néill quickly retreating back to the safety of his army. As the Laggan Army continued to advance toward the Confederates, Stewart sent a cavalry detachment to attack Ó Néill's musketeers. Stewart's force drove off the musketeers and then retreated to prepare for a full cavalry attack upon the Irish army. Before Stewart's cavalry could coordinate their attack, Ó Néill sent his cavalry out to confront the Royalists. For a short while, the cavalry battle was a stalemate.^[8][22][23]

As the cavalry battle continued, an Irish commander, Shane Og O’Neill, ordered his brigade of infantry out of their defensive positions intending to attack the Laggan infantry. His advance was against his orders to stay in position, but nevertheless, he made the move hoping to catch the enemy's infantry off-guard. Shane O’Neill's brigade didn't reach their objective, however, as the Laggan cavalry quickly turned and attacked the Irish infantry. After approximately a half-hour of fighting, the Irish infantry began to break and retreat in disorder. At that time, Stewart pressed forward with the Laggan infantry. As the fleeing Confederates were pursued by the Royalists they collided with the remainder of their own army, creating chaos and confusion which caused all the Irish, infantry and cavalry, to flee.^[8][22][24]

Seeing what was happening, Ó Néill broke off the fighting and organized a more disciplined retreat. Many of his men continued to flee in a haphazard manner as they were pursued by the Laggan cavalry.^[8][22]

In the short battle, the Irish lost most of their materials and an estimated 150 men including many of the experienced officers who had returned with Ó Néill to Ireland from Flanders. Laggan Army casualties were reported to be quite low, six men killed and 23 injured.^[3][8]

Many of the Irish scattered and hid in the countryside till Ó Néill was able to regroup them and press on with his march to the interior of Ireland. Stewart could not afford to leave his operations base in East Donegal unprotected and pursue Ó Néill any deeper into Ireland, so he simply confiscated the resources left behind by the Confederates and returned home. Although Ó Néill was able to replace the lost men, his timetable was significantly impacted due to the loss of the experienced officers and soldiers that he had introduced into his army from the Irish Regiment. The province of Ulster was then held totally by the enemies of the revolution – the Laggan Army, the Covenanters, and the English.^[3][8]