Desmond was not present with the French army, for many hours after their arrival at Ghent.

He suffered intense pain on the ride thither, and was then taken to a hospital that had been hastily formed for the reception of wounded officers.

Here the surgeons had agreed that there was nothing for it, but to amputate the arm halfway between the wrist and the elbow.

The limb was already greatly swollen.
"Under ordinary circumstances," the surgeon said, "we should wait until we had reduced the inflammation, but this might be a matter of a week or ten days, and there is no time to spare, as the army will probably march away in a few days, and travel would increase the inflammation to such an extent that your life might be sacrificed." "I would rather have it taken off at once, doctor," Desmond said.
"The operation cannot hurt very much more than the arm is hurting already, and the sooner it is over, the better." Surgery was in its infancy at that time.

Anesthetics were undreamt of; but the surgeons of the French army had large experience, and the operation was very skilfully performed, for the time.