The New-York Historical Society when detailed for camp guard, he had leisure for drawing, and he made several sketches of life in camp which are now on exhibit for the first time. His many experiences during the Civil War are narrated in Cronin's autobiography entitled: The Evolution of a Life, described in the memoirs of Major Seth Eyland, (New York, 1884). He rose through the ranks to a captaincy in the First New York Mounted Rifles, was mustered out with his company, November 29, 1865, at City Point, Virginia, and later received his honorable discharge with the Brevet Commission of Major. Years later, while looking through files of Harper's Weekly, Cronin was amazed to note how little they contained of value to the future historian. In a letter to Daniel Parish, Jr., he wrote: "The drawings are often of the most inferior grade—slight and inaccurate—the latter defect due no doubt to liberties taken by the office draughtsman who transcribed the drawing on wood." For instance, in Cronin's sketch of Roach's Mills, as reproduced in Harper's, one of the central figures is shown leaning on a piece of heavy artillery. As Cronin had drawn it on the spot, there was a cracker box instead of the cannon, and Cronin pointed out that no cannon was with the advance in May of 1861. The scene is pictured correctly in Cronin's water-color sketch now on exhibition. After the War, Cronin took up journalism, and in 1872 established, edited, and published The Binghamton (N. Y.) Times; but in 1874 he withdrew from the paper and again turned to art. He received orders for a number of paintings illustrating incidents in army life, such as: "The Capture of Charles City Court- House," "The Outer Picket," "The Contraband's Story," and "Cavalry Halt in the Roanoke Valley." He continued his legal studies, formed a law partnership with Charles E. Smith, and for a few years, lead a very active life in New York, professionally and socially. When his partner's health failed, he moved to Texas. There he became interested in promoting two railroads, the 20