combat here had not lasted more than an hour, and the British
brigades, now that the excitement was over, were too exhausted to
proceed any farther and bivouacked on the ground near the scene of
their victory.

It was hopeless now to attempt to continue the encircling movement,
which was started at five o'clock, owing to the darkness and the
condition of the men. Some time during the night Nuredin Pasha, having
evacuated his fortified position, moved his troops across the Tigris
to the southern bank and, by forced marches, reached Shat-el-Hai. From
there he proceeded to Azizie, where, for the defense of Bagdad,
extensive fortifications had been constructed. It was evident from the
rapidity of his movements that the Turkish commander was afraid of
being overtaken by the British forces, for in two days he had marched
his men sixty-five miles toward Bagdad.

The Turkish forces made good their retreat, and so General Townshend,
who had accomplished some remarkable successes at the beginning of the
battle, was deprived of a decisive victory. He had evidently planned
the battle on the impulse of the moment and when it was impossible to
secure an adequate water supply. His men fought with courage and
determination, but tormented by thirst and worn out from loss of sleep
it was physically impossible for them to accomplish more than they
did. It was a bitter blow to General Townshend that the Turks had been
able to retreat in good order. The importance of such a victory could
not be overestimated. It meant the conquering of entire Mesopotamia as
far as Bagdad, and the moral effect of such a success on the Arabs and
tribesmen would have greatly raised British prestige in that region.

An attempt was made to give chase to the fleeing Turks on the river
during the night, when Lieutenant Commander Cookson, the senior naval
officer, with his ship, the destroyer _Comet_, and several other
smaller vessels set out after them. The Turks fired on the boats from
the shore, and the _Comet_, which had steamed in close to the bank,
was assailed with hand grenades by the enemy. A strong, thick wire had
been stretched across the river, attached to sunken dhows, and it
became necessary to remove these obstructions before an advance could
be made. A vivid description of the heroic death of Lieutenant
Commander Edgar Christopher Cookson, D. S. O., R. N., who won the
Victoria Cross for his bravery at this time, is given in a letter home
by one o