The Battle of Vinegar Hill ended the main rebel territorial hold in County Wexford, effectively breaking the Irish Rebellion of 1798 in Leinster.
Key Facts
- Date
- 21 June 1798
- Government troop strength
- 13,000 troops
- Rebel strength
- 16,000 fighters
- Government commander
- Gerard Lake
- Rebel commander
- Anthony Perry
- Location
- Vinegar Hill and Enniscorthy, County Wexford
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Irish Rebellion of 1798, led by the United Irishmen, had seized significant territory in County Wexford. Rebels consolidated their forces at a large camp on Vinegar Hill near Enniscorthy, making it a strategic stronghold and the focal point of insurgent control in the region.
On 21 June 1798, approximately 13,000 government troops commanded by General Gerard Lake attacked the rebel encampment on Vinegar Hill and fought through the streets of Enniscorthy. The United Irishmen, numbering around 16,000 and led by Anthony Perry, were decisively defeated in what became a major military engagement of the rebellion.
The rebel defeat at Vinegar Hill marked the end of the last major attempt by the United Irishmen to hold and control territory captured in County Wexford, effectively collapsing organized insurgent resistance in Leinster and dealing a decisive blow to the broader Irish Rebellion of 1798.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Gerard Lake.
Side B
1 belligerent
Anthony Perry.