Robert Blake Cruice papers

The papers of Robert Blake Cruice, spanning 1861 to 1899, consist of a biographical sketch, correspondence and general business papers from his tenure as an assistant surgeon in the U.S. Army during the Civil War, papers pertaining to his military pension claim, and miscellaneous material concerning various societies and institutions with which Cruice was associated.

Series 1 contains a biographical sketch on the life of Robert Blake Cruice; the author of this undated manuscript is unknown. The biography contains detailed information about Cruice's background and family. Correspondence and general business papers from the Civil War period are contained in Series 2. Present are records of Cruice's commission into the Army, documentation of his transport to Camp Crosman in Huntington, Pennsylvania, and special orders requesting him to report to Major General McClellan. Also present are letters and medical reports concerning an injury suffered by Cruice when he fell from his horse in May 1863. Other letters document Cruice's leave of absence and eventual resignation from the Army due to the death of his brother in 1863. Series 1 also includes a letter from William A. Hammond, Surgeon General of the U.S. Army from 1862 to 1864. Included in the correspondence are manuscript copies of Cruice's outgoing letters. In addition to correspondence, Series 2 contains detailed administrative records of the field hospitals where Cruice was stationed. Included are reports of the sick and wounded, muster rolls, invoices of medical and hospital property, and quarterly returns of clothing, camp and garrison equipage. These records are from field hospitals in northern Virginia located near Harrison Landing, Bolivar Heights, Alexandria, Falmouth, and Harper's Ferry. Also present in Series 2 is a manuscript map of a battlefield somewhere near Chancellorsville, Virginia.

Series 3 contains correspondence with representatives of the Pension Office of the Department of the Interior; the letters in this series concern Cruice's attempt to secure a pension from the U.S. Government. In order to receive his pension, Cruice had to prove that he had been injured in the line of duty; thus, this series contains letters and affidavits from witnesses testifying to the extent of Cruice's injuries when he fell from his horse in 1863. Also present is a "Proof of Disability" form and Cruice's "Declaration for Original Invalid Pension". Cruice's pension claim, which he submitted in 1886, was finally approved in 1889.

Miscellaneous papers are contained in Series 4. Present are letters of recommendation (1872-1873) that were included in Cruice's application for attending surgeon at Girard College; Cruice received recommendations from F.A. Drexel, Alfred Stille, Edward A. Page, Edward Hartshorne, James Aitken Meigs, William V. Keating, John H. Brinton, and William A. Porter. Apparently, Cruice was not selected for the position. Also present in Series 4 are papers documenting Cruice's appointment as an Examining Surgeon of the Bureau of Pensions (1893), and papers pertaining to his membership in the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States and his employment at St. Joseph's Hospital.