In July, the FOURTH DRAGOON GUARDS marched, under the command of Colonel Thewles (accompanied by Major-General Sir James Duff), to attack, in conjunction with other troops, a considerable body of rebels who had taken post at _Kildare_. On the advance of the King's forces, the insurgents, after a short resistance, set the town on fire and retired to a position on the curragh of Kildare. Here they were attacked, overpowered, and routed by the cavalry, with a loss of 250 killed and many wounded. Previous to the termination of this sanguinary affair, Lieutenant-General Sir David Dundas arrived with a body of troops, to whom the surviving rebels surrendered,--the General having authority to give protection to such of the insurgents as should lay down their arms and return to their allegiance.
From this period the rebellion may be considered suppressed; some of the most obstinate of the rebels, however, continued in a body and committed many enormities; and the French endeavoured to revive the conflict by sending General Humbert, with upwards of 1000 men, all desperate characters, who landed at Killala on the 22nd of August. The FOURTH DRAGOON GUARDS were immediately ordered to march for Connaught, but the French having been made prisoners, the order was countermanded, and the regiment returned to its quarters at Maryborough. Thus was this unnatural contest terminated; but the repeated atrocities of the Catholics led to equally frightful retaliations, and the sanguinary hatred engendered by religious antipathy and a thirst for revenge produced a fearful catalogue of crime after the rebels were subdued. The loss of the insurgents during this rebellion has been estimated at 50,000 men, and that of the royalists at 19,000 men.
Scarcely were the troubles in Ireland terminated and the country restored to tranquillity, when the regiment received orders to hold itself in readiness for foreign service, and, having marched to Dublin, it there received a draught of men and horses from the 6th Dragoon Guards.
Embarking from Dublin in August, 1799, it landed at Liverpool, from whence it proceeded by forced marches to Northampton, expecting to form part of the Anglo-Russian army, destined to attempt to rescue Holland from the power of France; but the Dutch not seconding the efforts made for their deliverance, the troops were withdrawn, and the FOURTH DRAGOON GUARDS continued at Northampton during the remainder of that year.