Fighting between the two sides was often reputed to be bloody and Irish Catholics were frequently accused of untold atrocities against Protestant settlers. The Irish would force settlers from their homes and march them towards Dublin. Leaders often lost control of their troops and the rebels would assault and sometimes murder the unarmed British.
One such story revolves around an incident at the River Bann in Portadown, Co. Armagh. During a particularly violent period of the rebellion, a large group of women, children and old people were forced out of their homes in the town and marched to the riverbank. On the way, it is said that they were robbed and stripped of most of their clothing. The group was then herded onto a wooden bridge over the river.
The Irish rebels proceeded to set fire to both ends of the bridge. When the victims tried to swim to safety, rebels used pikes to push them back into the river, until everyone was dead. Since this was during the month of November, anyone trapped in the water died of exposure, if they didn't drown first.
For months afterwards locals reported ghostly sittings and paranormal activities. Some said that the river ran blood red for weeks after the incident. Guards on watch claimed that they saw heads floating and crying in the river, only to disappear if they tried to fish them out or touch them in any way.
Most often, people reported seeing an English woman, dressed in rags, holding a baby and crying over the river. She liked to watch the rebel guards and when they walked by her she would raise her fist up and shout "revenge, revenge" until they passed by.
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