The Siege of Derry 1689: The Military History

‘No Surrender!’, the Unionist war cry, was first used in 1689 by the Protestant defenders of Londonderry as James II’s army laid siege to the city for 105 days. There were astonishing acts of courage, from the heroic death of Captain Browning to the anonymous boys who played signal roles in the defence of the city. This book examines how the Jacobites might have achieved success, and the far reaching impact of the siege as a crucial event in the second British civil war.

Renowned military historian Richard Doherty brings his expertise to bear on this pivotal campaign, using contemporary accounts, official French and English records, and published works. With an understanding of seventeenth-century warfare, especially siegecraft, he probes many of the myths that have grown up around the siege, sets it in its rightful context, and shows how the history of Europe was turned by the events of 1689.

Richard Doherty is the author of a number of military history titles, including Normandy 1944: The Road to Victory, Only the Enemy in Front and None Bolder: The History of the 51st (Highland) Division in the Second World War. He lives near Londonderry.