Humbert’s Expedition To Ireland
Above : Statue Of General Humbert In Kilalla
As usual there were delays, and it was not till the August of 1798, when the Irish rebellion had been already crushed, that even the first of the projected expeditions set sail. It consisted of only three frigates, carrying a force of 1,036 fighting men, and arms and equipment for a much larger number. The General, Humbert, was skilful and experienced, and the troops for the most part veterans who had served in several campaigns, but it was evident that so slender a force could achieve nothing without powerful support.
When Humbert landed his men at Killala in Co. Mayo (August 22nd), and urged the inhabitants and the neighbouring peasantry to join him and strike a blow for the liberty of their country, comparatively few responded to the call. Had the French appeared while the flame of rebellion still burned, or had their numbers been sufficiently great to afford what appeared to be a reasonable hope of success, there is little doubt that their reception would have been different. But the people must have seen that from a mere handful of men, cut off from their base of supply by the ocean, not much could be expected. On the other hand, what the vengeance of the British would be on any Irishman who joined or helped the insurrection they had good reason to know.
The English Commanders, Lake and Hutchinson, lost no time in assembling their forces. These were sufficiently numerous, certainly double those of their enemies, but they consisted mainly of militia, and their military quality was, as soon appeared, very poor. Humbert marched from Killala to meet the English, and the two armies encountered each other near Castlebar. The engagement, which has ever since been known as ” the Races of Castlebar,” lasted scarcely five minutes. On the British side the artillery alone attempted resistance. The others broke before the charge of the French and fled in wild confusion, strewing the roads with the muskets which, for the most part, they had not even discharged. Well might a historian of our own day (Lecky) ask himself: ” What would have happened, if, at any time within the two preceding years, 12,000 or 15,000 French soldiers like those of Humbert had been landed I”
The success of the invaders could not be other than temporary. Ireland was full of British soldiers, many of them regular troops, of very different quality from the fugitives of Castlebar. No other French expedition came to support Humbert, and on September 8th he surrendered to Lord Cornwallis at Ballinamuck (Co. Longford). The French were treated as prisoners of war, but to their Irish allies no quarter was given. On September 23rd the little town of Killala was stormed, and the last embers of the insurrection were quenched in blood.
