William Aylmer
Encyclopedia
William Aylmer from Painstown, County Kildare
, Ireland
was a leader of the United Irishmen in the 1798 Rebellion against the British
government. At the Battle of Ovidstown
on 19 June 1798 he led a fierce battle against superior forces in which 200 insurgents died. Aylmer retreated into the inaccessible Bog of Allen
and set up a defensive camp for over a month. Eventually he surrendered in return for a safe conduct abroad; effectively a form of exile.
Released from prison in 1802, he went into exile to Austria
, where he served as an officer and noted swordsman in the Austrian Army, from which he was at one point detached to tutor British Dragoons in the art of swordsmanship.
After almost twenty years in Austria he returned to Ireland, and in 1819 sailed from Dublin to Venezuela
with 200 officers and men to assist Simon Bolivar
's independence struggle as commander of the Tenth Lancers and second in command of the Irish Legion under lieutenant-colonel Francisco Burdett O'Connor
. He arrived in September 1819 on the island of Margarita
off the coast of Venezuela, where lack of preparations caused severe hardships. Many of the volunteers died or returned to Ireland. He was wounded at the Battle of Rio Hacha
on 25 May 1820 and died in Jamaica
on 20 June 1820.
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
was a leader of the United Irishmen in the 1798 Rebellion against the British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
government. At the Battle of Ovidstown
Battle of Ovidstown
The battle of Ovidstown, was a clash between British military and Irish rebels during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. It took place at 19 June 1798 at Ovidstown Hill, about three miles south-west of Kilcock in County Kildare.- Background :...
on 19 June 1798 he led a fierce battle against superior forces in which 200 insurgents died. Aylmer retreated into the inaccessible Bog of Allen
Bog of Allen
The Bog of Allen is a large raised bog in the centre of Ireland between the rivers Liffey and Shannon.The bog's 958 square kilometers stretch into County Offaly, County Meath, County Kildare, County Laois, and County Westmeath. Peat is mechanically harvested on a large scale by Bórd na Móna,...
and set up a defensive camp for over a month. Eventually he surrendered in return for a safe conduct abroad; effectively a form of exile.
Released from prison in 1802, he went into exile to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, where he served as an officer and noted swordsman in the Austrian Army, from which he was at one point detached to tutor British Dragoons in the art of swordsmanship.
After almost twenty years in Austria he returned to Ireland, and in 1819 sailed from Dublin to Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
with 200 officers and men to assist Simon Bolivar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
's independence struggle as commander of the Tenth Lancers and second in command of the Irish Legion under lieutenant-colonel Francisco Burdett O'Connor
Francisco Burdett O'Connor
Francisco Burdett O'Connor was an officer in the Irish Legion of Simón Bolívar's army in Venezuela. He later became chief of staff to Antonio José de Sucre and minister of war in Bolivia....
. He arrived in September 1819 on the island of Margarita
Isla Margarita
Margarita Island is the largest island of the state of Nueva Esparta in Venezuela, situated in the Caribbean Sea, off the northeastern coast of the country. The state also contains two other smaller islands: Coche and Cubagua. The capital city of Nueva Esparta is La Asunción, located in a river...
off the coast of Venezuela, where lack of preparations caused severe hardships. Many of the volunteers died or returned to Ireland. He was wounded at the Battle of Rio Hacha
Riohacha
Riohacha, Rio Hacha or Rio de la Hacha , is a city in the Riohacha Municipality in the northern Caribbean Region of Colombia by the mouth of the Ranchería River and the Caribbean sea, capital city of the La Guajira Department. Founded by conquistador Nikolaus Federmann in 1535, Riohacha was named...
on 25 May 1820 and died in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
on 20 June 1820.