6 June 1798: The second week of extreme violence stretches crown forces to their limit. Castlereagh reports to William Wickham on May 31st that "the rebels still continue in force in the Counties of Wicklow, Wexford, Kildare, Carlow, Meath and King's County; it is difficult to bring them to any decisive action.
"They commit horrid cruel ties, and disperse as soon as the troops appear. Should the insurrection confine itself within the present limits, a short time will dispose of it.
"There are some unpleasant appearances in certain parts of the North, but as yet all is in fact quiet in Ulster, Munster and Connaught."
A major rebel camp at Blackmore Hill, Co Wicklow, is dispersed that day but it is deemed imprudent to pursue them into the mountains.
The rebels level dozens of yeomanry homes around Blessington, along with Lord Down shire's mansion. Their perseverance after successive defeats troubles Lieut Gen Lake, who states on June 1st that "the insurrection . . . being so general, and appearing rather to increase than to subside, it is certainly desirable that as many troops as can be spared from other service in Britain should be sent to reinforce the army here".
Camden fears that "unless speedily crushed this dreadful contagion will spread through the country".
Matters improve that day at Newtownbarry (Bunclody), where Col L'Estrange of the King's County militia ultimately defeats a rebel attack that would have exposed south Wicklow to the Wexfordmen.
His victory confirms that even the most distrusted militia units can be depended upon to defend the state's interests. Carnew's garrison issues its own warning to its enemies on the 1st by shooting 41 prisoners, the second such massacre carried out by them in a week. Surprisingly, Maj Gen William Loftus's plan to reoccupy north Wexford goes awry on the 4th when Col Walpole leads his forces into an ambush at Tubberneering.
Fifty-four soldiers are killed, wounded or captured, prompting the unnerved garrisons of Gorey, Carnew, Arklow and Tinahely to abandon their posts. While the wealthier noncombatants go to Wales, Liverpool and London, 1,000 refugees flood into Wicklow town.
An excitable Lord Shannon reports from Dublin on the 5th that "it was given as a unanimous opinion that unless a large army was with utmost expedition sent here from England, the Kingdom is gone". Yet the fortunes of the establishment rise again that day at New Ross, where Beauchamp Bagenal Harvey's 15,000strong Wexford rebel army loses a nine-hour battle.
Dissension in the rebel command impedes the commitment of their resources and the brunt of the fighting is carried out by the men attached to Thomas Cloney of Moneyhore and John Kelly of Killan.
Lord Mountjoy of the Dublin City militia is the most prominent pro-government fatality in an intense struggle which temporarily forces Maj Gen Henry Johnson to retreat across the Barrow into Kilkenny. His decisive counterattack, however, drives the rebels out of New Ross, with the loss of at least 1,000 men.
Hundreds are put to the sword on the battlefield; atrocities avenged by the unapproved massacre of over 100 mostly Protestant prisoners at Scullabogue. The repercussions of Ross are considerable but on June 6th the attention of the Castle is drawn to Ulster, where Henry Joy McCracken issues belated orders for the rising of the United Irishmen's uprising.