Roberts was fatally
wounded, Congreve was wounded and taken prisoner, and Schofield alone
escaped unharmed with the two guns that were saved.
The day had been almost more terrible for the troops who remained
unoccupied near the baggage than for those actually engaged in the
terrible light. The latter, animated by excitement and anger at their
inability to get at the foe, had scarce time to think of their danger,
and even laughed and joked in the midst of the hail of bullets, but the
watchers had nothing to distract them during the long hours. With their
glasses they could plainly see that no advance had been made at any
point. To them it seemed incredible that any could come back from that
storm of fire. From time to time they learned from wounded men brought
up by the bearers, who fearlessly went down into the thick of the fire
to do their duty, news of how matters were going on in the front.
Gladly, had they received orders to do so, would they have dashed down
to try and carry off the guns. Many shed tears of rage as they heard how
the Irish strove in vain to cross the deep river, and how many were
drowned in their attempts to swim it. They expected, when in the
afternoon the troops came in, that they would see an utterly dispirited
body of men, and were surprised when the Irish, who were the first to
return to camp, marched along smoking their pipes and joking as if they
had returned from a day of triumph rather than of failure.
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