[Sidenote: Battle of Knocknanuss Nov. 13.]
[Sidenote: Inchiquin completely victorious.]
Having access to a sea which their friends commanded, neither Jones nor Inchiquin were easy to assail. They could always retire into their coast towns and exist there somehow. Yet the Munster Protestants were in miserable state enough. 'It would make your soul bleed,' writes a resident in Cork to his cousin in England, 'to see the poor common soldier march out with never a whole rag to his back, nor shoe to his foot, feeble and faint for want of what should suffice nature.' The prospect of a battle was a relief, and 'those that were sickish skipped for joy.' Taaffe, says the author of the 'Aphorismical Discovery,' 'was a well-spoken man of both art and delivery, a fencer, a runner of a tilt, a brave, generous gamester, and an exceeding good potator in any liquor you please.' He was a brave soldier, but more diplomatist than general. In the King's interest, Digby had urged him to avoid a general action, but Fabian tactics require a Fabius, and probably he was forced to fight by the feeling which Inchiquin's doings at Cashel had excited. At all events, he drew his forces together early in November, when Inchiquin concentrated his at Mallow, and went to look for him. Taaffe, with 7000 foot and 1200 horse, was strongly posted on the hill of Knocknanuss, about three miles to the eastward of Kanturk. A bog and stream ran along his front. Inchiquin with a much smaller force advanced to a place called Garryduff on November 12, where he received a letter from Taaffe, who declared that he was fighting in the King's cause, and proposed a contest between 2000 foot a side, 'more for recreation' than for any serious military reason. Inchiquin retorted that Taaffe was not really preserving the King's interest, and that he would wait till the morning before engaging in a battle for recreation. He sheltered his army in a wood for the night, and when the first light disclosed Taaffe's position, suggested in his turn that he should descend from his hill, cross the stream, and fight 'upon a very fair piece of ground.' Taaffe answered verbally that he was soldier enough to improve the advantage that he had. He refused to abandon his position, but did what was nearly as bad by shifting his men in sight of the enemy and finally posting them so that the bend of the hill hid his two wings from one another. The right, under Alexander MacDonnell, consisted of Scots islanders and Ulstermen, the Munster troops being on the left, where Taaffe himself stood. Inchiquin began the attack with his artillery, but the Highlanders, having fired a volley, threw away their muskets and rushed sword-in-hand upon the guns, of which they retained possession for an hour. Inchiquin's left was driven back towards Mallow, but on the right he was completely victorious. Rupert's faults were not his, and he did not pursue, but turned back to look after his defeated wing. The Highlanders and Purcell's horse, believing the battle won, were scattered all over the country, and made no effective resistance. Half of Taaffe's army were slain, the remainder flying to Liscarroll and Newmarket; while Inchiquin lost only about 150 men. 'We were killing till night,' he says; and few prisoners were made, except among the officers. The arms of 6000 men strewed the field, and Taaffe's commission from the Confederates as general of Munster was taken with his baggage. Bellings had heard that Alexander Macdonnell was killed by an officer in cold blood, after quarter given; but the English accounts give no hint of this; and Rinuccini says distinctly that he refused quarter. The result of the battle was to place all Munster at Inchiquin's discretion, except Limerick, Waterford, Clonmel, and Kilmallock. He received the thanks of Parliament, and 1000_l._ were voted to buy horses.[118]