This gallant gentleman, from Ashville, N. C, at the head of ninety-eight as brave and hardy looking, mountaineers, as ever took up arms in defence of liberty and right, or marched to the thrilling notes of martial music, arrived in this place yesterday. And his company, the flower of North Carolina’s manhood good riders, good shots, animated by the strongest incentives that ever induced such men to seek the field of carnage, led on by their noble Captain, will make the prowling hirelings scamper in dismay, when they shall come to measure strength on the battle field. They left last night on a special train of cars for Virginia.
Newbern Weekly Progress, Newbern, NC
Thomas Crumpler
Crumpler and his cavalry unit were added to the 1st North Carolina Cavalry Regiment and were soon attached to the Army of Northern Virginia, which at the time was attempting to prevent a Union assault on Richmond. Crumpler was quickly promoted to Captain, and seemed to have a promising military career ahead of him. Unfortunately, his time in the Confederate Army would be short lived. On June 30th, 1862, Crumpler’s company, along with the rest of the Army of Northern Virginia, assaulted the Union lines at the Battle of Glendale. Sometime during the fight, Crumpler was shot and killed, reportedly while charging the enemy on horseback. He was 31 years old.
As you have mentioned elsewhere – the writing style both in newspapers and in private letters is quite different between the early days and the dreadful later days of the Civil War. This article is very typical of the emotive, flowery style in 1861. The same language was employed when the Hampton Legion Cavalry rode proudly into Virginia – “the flower of South Carolina’s manhood.”