Into this hell rode Lieutenant Roberts, only son of the Field-Marshal, an officer of infinite promise, Captain Schofield, and Captain Congreve. With fresh teams of horses they strove to limber up the guns, but under the tempest of death men and horses were swiftly swept away. Roberts fell stricken with five bullets, mortally wounded. Congreve's tunic was torn to shreds by bullets, and he himself was wounded. Schofield alone seemed to bear a charmed life, and though six bullets passed through his clothes he came off without a scratch, and succeeded in getting away two guns of the 66th Battery. All this while General Buller had sat cool and determined upon his horse, eating sandwiches under the terrible fire. He himself was struck by a spent bullet, which coursed round his ribs without inflicting a serious wound. Captain Hughes, his staff doctor, was blown to pieces by a shell which burst amongst the group; Lord Gerard, one of his aide-de-camps, had his horse shot through the neck; and several of the Natal Police, acting as escort, had their horses grazed or wounded, and themselves had bullets through their clothes. Three teams of horses were brought up from the 7th Field Battery under Captain Reed, and plunged into the inferno. One team was harnessed to an ammunition waggon, but before they could move were almost all shot, and Reed himself was wounded. There was nothing for it but to abandon the other ten guns and order a general retreat.
THE FOUR COLENSO V.C.'s.
[Photo by Chancellor, Dublin.
[Photo by Knight, Aldershot.
[Photo by Chancellor, Dublin.
The Victoria Crosses so gallantly won were presented to Capt. Reed and Corporal Nurse by General Buller, at Ladysmith, on March 18, at a special parade of the troops held for the purpose.
