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...at the request of the United Irishmen, request Napoleon granted with little enthusiasm. Had he committed his forces to Ireland instead of to his Egyptian campaign, the course of Irish history and even of Europe might have changed; instead, he provided the Irish with minimal support: one thousand men under the command of General Humbert, one thousand muskets and some artillery. In spite of the meager numbers, the unexpected landing in the west and the immediate local support gave the rebels successes at Killala and Castlebar where they established a provisional government before they headed east to join the major force of the United Irishmen. The plan was to met in Granard, Co. Longford.
An imprudent delay allowed the English time to form a net around the French and Irish forces. Lord Charles Cornwallis, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, marched west with twenty-six thousand troops to try to hold the rebels at the Shannon while General Gerard Lake. was ordered to pursue the French and Irish forces sniping at their rear guard and curing their lines of retreat. The rebels' further delay, a rest stop at Cloone, Co. Leitrim, closed the noose. The next morning, September 8, 1798, the French and Irish forces were overtaken at Ballinamuck, Co Longford. After brief encounters in town-lands around the village and at Shanmullagh Hill in the village itself, the French surrendered. Eight hundred and forty-two officers and rank and file...
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