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On hearing about the rising, General Lowe takes charge. He has 4,678 men under his command at the Curragh. Within hours these are mobilised and on their way to Dublin. Another 1,000 soldiers are on their way from Belfast. Arrangements are also being made for additional troops to be sent from England. By dawn on Tuesday these forces are in Dublin and the rebels are already outnumbered by 4 to 1. However, General Lowe is still unsure of the number of rebels he is facing and decides to hold off making a direct attack on their positions. Instead he begins to cordon off these positions in the hope of isolating the rebels from each other. Martial Law is declared at about 11.30 am and this restricts the movement of people on the streets to daylight hours. Anyone found moving about outside of these times is liable to be shot. Amongst the first to feel the presence of the British reinforcements are those holding St. Stephen's Green. Unknown to them, a party of over 100 soldiers take up positions in the Shelbourne Hotel, overlooking St. Stephen's Green, before dawn. At first light they open fire on the rebels in the park below them forcing them to flee into the nearby College of Surgeons. Several rebels are killed and taking St. Stephen's Green proves to be a major mistake. Inside the GPO, spirits are high especially after yesterday's attack on the Lancers. However, there is a realisation that a counter attack will come - the only question being when. Meanwhile work and preparations continue with barricades being constructed on the streets. Inside the GPO, work continues fortifying the building against attack. In order to improve communications, holes are tunnelled into the adjoining buildings. In this way, it is possible to move unseen from building to building. As well as giving a military advantage, this tactic also allows messengers to move from one position to another. ![]()
There is a great deal of uncertainty as to what is happening in the city. Rumours sweep Dublin about the imminent landing of thousands of Germans. There is still widespread confusion as to the number of rebels involved and the extent of the uprising. For the British Army, the key question is the extent to which Germany is involved in the rising. The only newspaper published is the Irish Times. It is strongly pro-Unionist. It devotes just three lines to reporting that a rising has taken place. In the absence of any hard news rumours continue to sweep the city.
By the end of Tuesday, the military are beginning to get a fuller picture of the numbers involved in the rising. Plans are at an advanced stage to bring artillery to Dublin and shell the enemy positions. For ordinary civilians life is becoming more difficult. There are no shops open and the shooting means that it is too dangerous for people to venture out. In the absence of police, looting continues.
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