abstract
| - Brigadier Buckworthy Crumshaw was a veteran officer of the Long Patrol under Lady Melesme. He was known for being "old school to the rigid backbone," and did not tolerate nonsense. He wore a monocle and was mustachioed, and carried a swagger stick. Brigadier Crumshaw was in charge of the 100 hares sent to Redwall Abbey to retrieve Melesme's drum from Gulo the Savage's horde of a hundred white vermin. He made immediate friends with Rakkety Tam MacBurl and Wild Doogy Plumm, recognizing two seasoned warriors. Crumshaw was also a friend of Tergen, who called him Brigadier Wotwot; he was responsible for curing Tergen of depression when the bird was wounded in action. Upon arriving at the Abbey, Crumshaw ran afoul of Gulo's troops and took an arrow in the shoulder; Sister Armel had to put his arm in a sling. Crumshaw stayed at Redwall with half of the Long Patrol to defend it while Tam took the other half to chase Gulo the Savage and half the vermin who had not stayed to attack the Abbey. After the Long Patrol made an agreement with the other half of the vermin to meet on the field west of the Abbey for battle, Crumshaw was confronted by Sergeant Wonwill and Captain Derron Fortindom, who argued that he couldn't fight with his arm in a sling. When the Brigadier refused not to lead the charge, Wonwill was forced to knock him out with a well-placed uppercut. Crumshaw was placed in the Gatehouse at Redwall Abbey. When Freeta and her companions sneaked into the Abbey via one of the wallgates, Crumshaw saw it all and made a lone charge from the gatehouse, his arm still in a sling. He was shot in the chest twice by arrows and then slashed in the face by Freeta's sword, but in his last dying breath he managed to grab the blade and use it to slay the vixen. Upon the discovery of the Brigadier's body, Wonwill remarked that Crumshaw wouldn't have wanted to go any other way but in battle. The young hare Flunkworthy then did an amazing impression of the Brigadier's voice, as if Crumshaw was telling his fellow hares to dry their eyes and carry on the war without him. He was temporarily laid to rest beneath the Tapestry of Martin the Warrior, and later buried on the Abbey grounds.
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