# Thomas Cruse > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Thomas_Cruse > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Thomas_Cruse.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cruse > Source revision: 1353254485 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|American army officer (1857–1943)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2016}} {{Infobox military person |name=Thomas Cruse |birth_date= {{Birth date|1857|12|29}} |death_date= {{Death date and age|1943|06|08|1857|12|29}} |birth_place= [Owensboro, Kentucky](/source/Owensboro%2C_Kentucky), US |death_place= [Fort Sam Houston](/source/Fort_Sam_Houston), [Texas](/source/Texas) |burial_place= [Arlington National Cemetery](/source/Arlington_National_Cemetery) |burial_label= Place of burial |image=CRUSE, THOMAS. GENERAL LCCN2016859059.jpg |caption= |allegiance= United States |branch= [United States Army](/source/United_States_Army) |service_years= 1879–1918 |rank= [Brigadier general](/source/Brigadier_general_(United_States)) |commands= |battles={{Tree list}} * [Indian Wars](/source/Indian_Wars) **[Apache Wars](/source/Apache_Wars) **[Battle of Big Dry Wash](/source/Battle_of_Big_Dry_Wash) * [Philippine–American War](/source/Philippine%E2%80%93American_War) * [World War I](/source/World_War_I) {{Tree list/end}} |awards=[Medal of Honor](/source/Medal_of_Honor) }} '''Thomas Cruse''' (December 29, 1857 – June 8, 1943) was a [brigadier general](/source/Brigadier_general_(United_States)) in the [United States Army](/source/United_States_Army) who was a recipient of the [Medal of Honor](/source/Medal_of_Honor) for valor in action on July 17, 1882, at the [Battle of Big Dry Wash](/source/Battle_of_Big_Dry_Wash), [Arizona](/source/Arizona). An 1879 graduate of [West Point](/source/United_States_Military_Academy), he served in numerous campaigns on the Western Frontier and later in the Philippines. He retired as a brigadier general in 1918. ==Education and military career== [[File:Medal of Honor recipient gravestone in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia in the 2020s - 269.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Grave at [Arlington National Cemetery](/source/Arlington_National_Cemetery)]] Cruse was born in [Owensboro, Kentucky](/source/Owensboro%2C_Kentucky) on December 29, 1857.Davis, Henry Blaine Jr. (1998). Generals in Khaki. Pentland Press, Inc. p. 81. {{ISBN|1571970886}}. OCLC 40298151 Before attending [West Point](/source/United_States_Military_Academy), he attended [Centre College](/source/Centre_College) in Kentucky from 1874 to 1875. He then began attendance at the [United States Military Academy](/source/United_States_Military_Academy), from which he graduated in 1879. Cruse was commissioned a [second lieutenant](/source/Second_lieutenant) in the [6th United States Cavalry](/source/6th_Cavalry_Regiment_(United_States)) upon graduation.{{Cite web|title=Biographical Register of Graduates|publisher=USMA Library Special Collections (Cullum File)|url=http://digital-library.usma.edu/libmedia/archives/cullum/VOL3_PART0002.PDF|accessdate=April 17, 2009|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090110212207/http://digital-library.usma.edu/libmedia/archives/cullum/VOL3_PART0002.PDF|archivedate=January 10, 2009|df=mdy-all}} Cruse was an honor graduate of the Infantry and Cavalry School in 1891. On July 12, 1892, he received the [Medal of Honor](/source/Medal_of_Honor) "for distinguished gallantry in action with hostile Indians" at Big Dry Fork, Arizona on July 17, 1882. Three others also received the Medal of Honor for this action: [Frank West](/source/Frank_West_(Medal_of_Honor)), [George H. Morgan](/source/George_H._Morgan), and [Charles Taylor](/source/Charles_Taylor_(Medal_of_Honor)).{{Cite web|url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/indianwars.html|title=Medal of Honor recipients Indian Wars Period|publisher=Army Center of Military History|accessdate=April 17, 2009|archive-date=May 24, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090524162853/http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/indianwars.html|url-status=dead}} Cruse later served in the [Philippine–American War](/source/Philippine%E2%80%93American_War). He graduated from the [Army War College](/source/United_States_Army_War_College) in April 1916 and was promoted to brigadier general in December 1916. He retired from active duty in January 1918, nine months after the [American entry into World War I](/source/American_entry_into_World_War_I).{{Cite web|title=Thomas Cruse|publisher=Arlington National Cemetery|url=http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/tcruse.htm|accessdate=April 17, 2009}} ===Fraud allegations=== Shortly after his retirement, Cruse was accused of involvement in a scandal involving acquisition procedures which involved his employment with [Chicago](/source/Chicago) manufacturing agent Henry H. Lippert.{{cite news|title=General Accused in Graft Case|work=New York Times|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/03/02/98259201.pdf|accessdate=April 17, 2009 | date=March 2, 1918}} Lippert and his son Ralph were arrested; they argued that they had not committed fraud, and that Cruse had not been employed by them until after his retirement from the military.{{cite news |date=March 4, 1918 |title=Gen. Cruse is Exonerated |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/83546637/ |work=Brainerd Dispatch |location=Brainerd, MN |page=3 |url-access=subscription }} All three argued that Cruse had obtained an opinion from the Army's Judge Advocate General, [Enoch Crowder](/source/Enoch_Crowder), which indicated that becoming an agent of the Lippert company did not violate the law.{{cite book |last=Cruse |first=Thomas |date=1941 |title=Apache Days and After |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.90024 |location=Caldwell, ID |publisher=Caxton Printers |pages=323–327 |ref={{sfnRef|''Apache Days and After''}}}} The case against Ralph Lippert was not pursued because he was drafted into the military.{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=April 9, 1918 |title=Draft Law Saves Him |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/174231222/ |work=Daily Gate City and Constitution-Democrat |location=Keokuk, IA |page=8 |url-access=subscription }} In April 1918, Cruse followed the advice of [Henry Pinckney McCain](/source/Henry_Pinckney_McCain), the Inspector General of the Army, to return to the Lipperts the money they had paid him (about $1,000), which ended his involvement in the matter.{{sfn|''Apache Days and After''|pages=323-327}} The case was resolved when authorities in Chicago reviewed the evidence against the Lipperts and declined to prosecute.{{sfn|''Apache Days and After''|pages=323-327}} ==Medal of Honor citation== Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, 6th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Big Dry Fork, Ariz., July 17, 1882. Entered service at: Owensboro, Ky. Birth: Owensboro, Ky. Date of issue: July 12, 1892. ;Citation Gallantly charged hostile Indians, and with his carbine compelled a party of them to keep under cover of their breastworks, thus being enabled to recover a severely wounded soldier. ==Personal life== Cruse retired to [Longport](/source/Longport%2C_New_Jersey), [New Jersey](/source/New_Jersey), where he wrote ''Apache Days and After''.Cruse, Thomas. 1941. ''Apache Days and After''. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska. 328p. He died on June 8, 1943, and was buried in Section 3, Lot 1763, of [Arlington National Cemetery](/source/Arlington_National_Cemetery).{{cite web |url=https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Notable-Graves/Medal-of-Honor-Recipients/Indian-Wars-MoH-recipients/Thomas-Cruse |title=Notable Graves: Thomas Cruse |website=Arlington Cemetery.mil |publisher=Office of Army Cemeteries |location=Arlington, VA |access-date=May 28, 2021}} He married Ms. Beatrice Cottrell (1862–1936), who is buried with him. They had two sons, Fred Taylor Cruse and [United States Naval Academy](/source/United_States_Naval_Academy) [Midshipman](/source/Midshipman) James Thomas Cruse. James was killed in an explosion aboard the {{USS|Georgia|BB-15|6}} in 1907. He is buried next to his parents. Fred T. Cruse was married to Marjorie Hamilton Hinds (1891–1986), the daughter of Major General [Ernest Hinds](/source/Ernest_Hinds).{{cite book |last=Massman |first=Emory A. |date=1999 |title=Hospital Ships of World War II |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9w9eCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA55 |location=Jefferson, NC |publisher=McFarland & Company |page=56 |isbn=978-0-7864-3255-4 |via=[Google Books](/source/Google_Books) |ref={{sfnRef|''Hospital Ships of World War II''}}}} ==References== :{{ACMH}} {{Reflist}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Cruse, Thomas}} Category:1857 births Category:1943 deaths Category:United States Army Cavalry Branch personnel Category:United States Army generals Category:United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Category:Centre College alumni Category:United States Military Academy alumni Category:People from Longport, New Jersey Category:People from Owensboro, Kentucky Category:American military personnel of the Philippine–American War Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Category:American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor Category:United States Army generals of World War I Category:United States Army War College alumni Category:Military personnel from Kentucky Category:Military personnel from Atlantic County, New Jersey Category:19th-century United States Army personnel --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Thomas Cruse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cruse) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cruse?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.