Page 36 - All About History - Issue 19-14

Greatest Battles

William makes his
Williamites 01landing 04
On 14 June, William and his men reach the
port of Carrickfergus, about 18km (11mi)
from Belfast. The king announces that he
TROOPS 36,000
hascometoensureIrelandwouldbe‘settled
CAVALRY 4,000
in a lasting peace’, and having joined up his
16,000-strong army with the 20,000 troops
ARTILLERY 30
belonging to his second-in-command, the
Duke of Schomberg (a professional soldier),
05
he begins the march south toward Dublin.
James’s forces
02 arrive
Lying around 50km (30mi) north
of Dublin, the River Boyne is the
last natural barrier between the
WILLIAMOFORANGE Williamites and the city. For this
reason, James chooses this as
the location for the battle, and
LEADER
subsequently moves the Jacobite
The ruling monarch of England, he
forces to wait for William, arriving
wasdeterminedtoendtheCatholic
on 29 June.
threat once and for all.
Strength Superior numbers and a
goodlevelofbattleexperience.
Weakness Physically weak; he was William
asthmatic and already suffering from 03 reaches
a wound. the Boyne
William and his
troops arrive the Jacobites
next morning, after
which the king
begins to scout
potential crossing
points on the river.
He is subsequently
INFANTRY shot at by enemy
soldiers – which are
initially reported
KEY UNIT
A large contingent of William’s army to have killed him,
were professional soldiers recruited although the shot
from the Netherlands and Denmark. merely grazes his
Strength Well trained and armed
with state-of-the-art weaponry. shoulder.
Weakness Vulnerable to attacks by
cavalry and artillery.

04 William

calls a council 05 On 1 July, the battle
Flanking manoeuvre
of war commences. William’s plan is to use
his superior numbers to trap James
At9amon30June,William between two forces, the first stage
CANNON callsacouncilofwarwithhis of which is to send the Duke of
Schomberg’s son, Count Meinhard,
KEY WEAPON generals. Having become tired west with around 10,000 men toward
Various types of artillery were used Roughrange, where they are to cross
ofwaitingforJamestomake the river. In response, James sends
depending on the troops’ nationality.
Strength Long range and
potentially devastating. a move, he gives the order to around 17,000 men. Both sides
Weakness Took a long time discover a deep ravine once they get
between loading and firing. attacktheverynextmorning. there that prevents them from fighting.

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