The governor and all his officers were killed
in cold blood, except some few of least consideration that escaped by
miracle."--Sept. 29, Carte's Letters, ii. 412. It is possible, though
not very probable, that Ormond suffered himself to be misled by false
information. It should, however, be observed, that there is nothing in his
account positively contradicted by Cromwell's despatch. Cromwell had, not
forbidden the granting of quarter before the storm. It was afterwards, "in
the heat of the action," that he issued this order. But at what part of the
action? On what account? What had happened to provoke him to issue it?
He tells us that within the breach the garrison had thrown up three
entrenchments; two of which were soon carried, but the third, that on the
Mill-Mount, was exceedingly strong, having a good graft, and strongly
palisaded. For additional particulars we must have recourse to other
authority, from which we learn that within this work was posted a body of
picked soldiers with every thing requisite for a vigorous defence, so that
it could not have been taken by force without the loss of some hundreds of
men on the part of the assailants. It so happened, however, that the latter
entered it without opposition, and "Colonel Axtell, with some twelve of
his men, went up to the top of the mount, and demanded of the governor the
surrender of it, who was very stubborn, speaking very big words, but at
length was persuaded to go into the windmill at the top of the mount, and
as many more of the chiefest of them as it could contain, _where they were
disarmed, and afterwards all slain_.
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