Private Peter A. Crusoe was born ca. 1820 at Gibraltar. He married Sarah A. Roberts prior to 1858, and was a Clerk of the Circuit Court at Key West, Florida from 1851-1861.

He was appointed as one of two secretaries assigned to record a meeting held on December 12, 1860, for the purpose of nominating delegates to the State secession convention to assemble in Tallahassee on the third day of January, 1861.

In May of 1861, he departed Key West and went to Tampa. He was mustered into service as a seaman on December 1st, 1861 with Captain Henry Mulrenan’s Florida Volunteer Coast Guards. He remained in this unit until mustered into Confederate service on April 25th, 1862 when he was enlisted as a Private in Captain Smith’s Company (Key West Avengers), 7th Regiment Florida Infantry by Major R. B. Thomas at Tampa, Florida for a period of 3 years or the war. He was discharged by Major R. B. Thomas very soon after (the reason stated is illegible in the records).

According to Robert Watson’s diary, Crusoe is known to have returned to Tampa, and apparently engaged in business until Tampa was occupied by the Federal forces on May 6th, 1864; he was taken into custody for refusing to take the oath of allegiance.

After the war, he returned to Key West, where he again served as Clerk of the Circuit Court at Key West, Florida from 1865-1868. He died at Key West on March 5th, 1873.

Peter Crusoe