Battle of Knocknanuss

The Battle of Knocknanauss (English Battle of Knocknanauss, Irish Cath Chnoc na NOS) took place during the Irish Konföderationskriege in November 1647 between the Army of the Confederate Ireland and the English Parliamentary army in the south of Ireland.

In the summer of 1647 attacked Murrough O'Brien ( Earl Inchiquinn ), commander of the English parliamentary army in Cork, the Confederate territory in Munster, leaving burned places, houses and fields, which earned him the nickname Murchadh na doiteann ( Murrough of the arsonists ). In this expedition O'Brien also conquered the Rock of Cashel, at that time an important religious symbol of the Irish. At the conquest O'Brien left the local garrison and the Catholic clergy massacre.

The Munster Confederate Army was due to internal squabbles initially unable to stop O'Brien's army - in particular the question of whether the Confederacy should form an alliance with the English Royalists, they split. Only after the fall of the Rock of Cashel and after foods were low because of the burning of the fields whittled away, Donagh MacCarthy was replaced as commander of the Munster army by Viscount Taafe, which was awarded the contract to fight O'Brien.

Taafe was an English Catholic and had little experience as a soldier. He had but indeed an excellent troupe of veteran Alasdair MacColla as support, much of his soldiers were also inexperienced. The Irish troops were demoralized by the dispute over the alliance with the royalists and many were Taafe not loyal. The English troops, however, who were commanded by O'Brien since 1642, were battle-hardened and well trained. In Knocknanauss ( near the village of Mallow, County Cork) both armies met in November 1647.

The following battle was actually an uncoordinated attack of the Irish forces. Taafe positioned his men into two troops on different sides of a hill, so that both could no longer see. The result was that a wing of the Confederate army did not know what the other was doing. MacColla 's men pursued the parliamentary soldiers and killed a large number of them. In the thought that the battle was won, they began to plunder the parliamentary Begleitzug. In the other wing, however, O'Brien's cavalry had defeated the Irish riders in the escape and Taafe could not prevent the Irish foot soldiers also fled - many of them were killed during the escape. MacColla only realized that the battle was not over yet, as he was surrounded by parliamentary troops. Also a large part of his army was killed then. Approx. 3,000 Irish soldiers lost their lives in this battle.

• Battle of the Irish Konföderationskriege
• 1647