MSS 2/0274-01 Acc. 1992-087-01 CRUICE, ROBERT BLAKE d. 1899 Papers, 1861-1899 Biographical Robert Blake Cruice, Philadelphia surgeon, was born on 29 September 1838. Cruice, the son of James P. and Mary Blake Cruice, received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1859. He married his cousin, Alice Mulchinock, in October 1868. Robert Blake Cruice died in 1899. In July 1861, Cruice volunteered his services as Assistant Surgeon of the 38th regiment of Pennsylvania. Cruice was appointed an Assistant Surgeon in the regular army in June 1862. He was assigned to the 113th regiment and served in several field hospitals in Virginia. After receiving a serious injury to his knee when he fell from his horse, Cruice resigned from the Army in August 1863. Cruice returned to Philadelphia in September 1863 and was appointed surgeon to St. Joseph's Hospital. In 1867, he was appointed physician and surgeon in charge. Cruice was appointed to the Medical Staff of St. Joseph's Hospital in 1875 and became President of the Medical Staff in 1894. Cruice was elected a Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia in 1866. He was also a member of the Philadelphia County Medical Society, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and the Academy of Natural Sciences. In January 1882, Cruice was elected a Companion of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. Scope and contents 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. Provenance The papers of Robert Blake Cruice were donated to the Historical Collections of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia as part of a larger gift of Cruice family material from the estate of John M. Cruice in February 1956. The papers were processed and cataloged in 1992. 1861-1899 1 box (.4 linear ft.) 8/12/1992 wvg MSS 2/0274-01 Acc. 1992-087-01 CRUICE, ROBERT BLAKE d. 1899 Papers, 1861-1899 Ser. 1 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH, [n.d.]. [manuscript] (1 folder) [n.d.] 2 GENERAL BUSINESS PAPERS, 1861-1869. 1. Correspondence 1861 Mar. 29-1869 June 8 (4 folders) 1861-1869 2. Reports of sick and wounded 1861 Nov. 3-1862 Oct. (1 folder) 1861-1862 3. Certificate of commission in U.S. Army as assistant surgeon 1862 Apr. 26 (1 folder) 1862 4. Muster rolls 1862 Apr. 30-1863 Feb. 28 (1 folder) 1862-1863 5. Invoices of medical and hospital property 1862 Aug. 1-1863 June 1 (1 folder) 1862-1863 6. Returns of medical and hospital property 1862 Dec. 1863 July 24 (1 folder) 1862-1863 7. Quarterly return of clothing, camp and garrison equipage 1862 Dec. 31-1863 June 30 (1 folder) 1862-1863 8. Blank forms [n.d.] (1 folder) [n.d.] 9. Battlefield map [manuscript, n.d.] (1 folder) [n.d.] 3 PAPERS CONCERNING MILITARY PENSION, 1886-1899. 1. Correspondence 1886 Apr. 14-1896 Mar. 31 (2 folders) 1886-1896 2. Forms and certificates 1889 May 1899 Sept. 30 (1 folder) 1889-1899 4 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS, 1872-1898. 1. Letters of recommendation from application for attending surgeon at Girard College 1872 Dec. 18-1872 Jan. 7 (1 folder) 1872-1873 Ser. 4 2. Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States 1882 Jan. 12-1898 Aug. 31 (Correspondence, "In Memoriam: Ulysses Simpson Grant" [printed, 1885 Oct. 7], and banquet menu) (1 folder) 1882-1898 3. Examining Surgeons of the Bureau of Pensions 1888 July 2-1893 June 9 (Correspondence and "Instructions to Examining Surgeons of the Bureau of Pensions [printed, 1893]) (1 folder) 1888-1893 4. Letter confirming membership in Historical Society of Pennsylvania 1890 Feb. 24 (1 folder) 1890 5. Correspondence concerning St. Joseph's Hospital 1893 Jan. 21-1895 Nov. 21 (1 folder) 1893-1895 6. Miscellaneous 1878 Nov. 12 and ca. 1888 Jan. (1 folder) 1878,1888 1861-1899 1 box (.4 linear ft.) 8/12/1992 wvg