Rebellion in Antrim
On 6 June McCracken issued a proclamation calling for the United army of Ulster to rise. The initial plan met with success, as the towns of Ballymena, Portaferry and Randalstown were taken and the bridge at Toome damaged to prevent the government rushing reinforcements into Antrim from west of the Bann. The rebels then assembled at Donegore Hill in preparation for the march and attack on Antrim town where an emergency meeting of the county’s magistrates called by the county governor, Lord O'Neill, was due to take place.
Although almost 10,000 rebels assembled at Donegore, many displayed reluctance for the coming fight and stayed on the hill in reserve or deserted later so that probably fewer than 4,000 actually took part in the attack. The United Irishmen in Ulster were mostly Presbyterian but were joined with Catholic Defenders and the tension between the two groups on the march may have caused some desertions. These difficulties led to a loss of momentum and the attack was delayed. McCracken was forced to make adjustments to his plan of attack which had envisaged a simultaneous overwhelming assault on the town from four separate points.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Antrim
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