English left while Tyrone prepared to attack the rear of the column. The column came under fire from the outset, and then fell into a major ambush at a pass just after the church at Clontibret. The Irish attacked from front, flanks, and rear, with their shot seconded by horsemen and pike, enabling the Irish skirmishers to pour close-range gunfire into the massed English ranks from as little as thirty metres. The English column stalled, and over three hours managed to advance only a quarter-mile. The close cooperation of the Irish foot and horse shocked English officers as "having divided both horse and foot into sundry troops, and every troop of horse led by a troops of shot, wherewith he [Tyrone] would bring them within half-caliver shot of the main stand of our pikes". The Irish shot advanced, fired, then retreated to reload before returning to continue firing. The English troops began to run short on gunpowder, and as their store of munition ran critically low the English pike were forced to charge, pushing Tyrone's shot back. But the Irish shot moved forward again when the English pike rejoined the column. Bagenal's situation grew more desperate and Tyrone moved in, hoping that a final volley would break the English formation. Just as Tyrone seemed about to break Bagenal's units a brave, but suicidal, charge by the English cavalry prevented the collapse of the English position. Led by Cornet Sedgreve, forty horse charged straight at Tyrone. Sir Ralph Lane noted that "their encounter was so rude that they were both unhorsed". Sedgreve had Tyrone by the neck, but the earl was well-armoured, wearing jack of plate; ironically, this had been given to him by Sir Christopher Hatton, the English Lord Chancellor. One of Tyrone's officers intervened, cutting off Sedgeve's arm, before Tyrone finished his opponent by thrusting his dagger into Sedgreve's groin. The English cavalry were slaughtered, but Sedgreve's sacrifice had given Bagenal the breathing room he needed to get the column moving. The Irish had blocked all the passages through the bog, but slowly the English pushed on. The veteran troops from Brittany performed well, but many of Bagenal's men were 'new come to the wars'. However, the fierceness of the fighting had exhausted Tyrone's immediate supply of gunpowder. The English column slowed to a crawl, and as night fell Bagenal called his men to a halt and camped at