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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Second Lieutenant · U.S. Army

George Washington Brush

Second Lieutenant George Washington Brush, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on May 24, 1864 at Ashepoo River, South Carolina during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War May 24, 1864

Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Second Lieutenant George Washington Brush received the Medal of Honor for his actions on May 24, 1864 at Ashepoo River, South Carolina during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company B, 34th U.S. Colored Infantry. Brush was 21 years old.

5 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on January 21, 1897, 32 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Captain.

Brush was born on October 4, 1842 in West Hills, Suffolk County, New York. His Medal of Honor is credited to Huntington, Suffolk County, New York. Brush died on November 18, 1927 in Brooklyn, New York, at the age of 85. He is buried at Huntington Rural Cemetery in Huntington, New York.

Brush is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 678 credited to New York.

★ Rescue & Lifesaving

Official Medal of Honor citation

Voluntarily commanded a boat crew, which went to the rescue of a large number of Union soldiers on board the stranded steamer Boston, and with great gallantry succeeded in conveying them to shore, being exposed during the entire time to heavy fire from a Confederate battery.

Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Life beyond the battlefield

  • Offices held: member of the State Senate of New York; member of the New York State Assembly
  • Occupations: politician, physician, dentist
  • Education: SUNY Downstate College of Medicine

Source: Wikidata.

Places

  • Born: West Hills — map
  • Buried: Huntington Rural Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →

Timeline

  1. October 4, 1842
    Born in West Hills, Suffolk County, New York
  2. May 24, 1864
    Act of valor — Ashepoo River, South Carolina
    Age 21. Company B, 34th U.S. Colored Infantry
  3. January 21, 1897
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. November 18, 1927
    Died in Brooklyn, New York
    Age 85.
  5. Resting place
    Huntington Rural Cemetery
    Huntington, New York

Biography

George Washington Brush (October 4, 1842 – November 18, 1927) was an American soldier, dentist, physician and politician. He served as a captain of a black company in the 34th Infantry Regiment U.S. Colored Troops in the Union Army during the American Civil War and received the Medal of Honor. After the war he became first a dentist and then a physician. He was elected to the New York State Assembly and then the State Senate. As chairman of the Senate Health Committee he helped establish the State Tuberculosis Sanatorium at Saranac Lake.

From the Wikipedia article “George W. Brush”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Further reading

Also honored for actions on May 24, 1864

WD William Downey Private · Army Civil War · 1864 JD John Duffey Private · Army Civil War · 1864 David L. Gifford Private · Army Civil War · 1864 MM Michael C. Murphy Lieutenant Colonel · Army Civil War · 1864 PS Patrick Scanlan Private · Army Civil War · 1864

More Civil War recipients from New York

Francis Bloodgood Hall Chaplain · Army Civil War · 1863 WB William P. Brownell Coxswain · Navy Civil War · 1863 John Cleveland Robinson Brigadier General · Army Civil War · 1864 HS Harlan J. Swift Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1864 JM John P. McVeane Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863 ✦ JS John Sullivan Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1864
Sources. Service and award details compiled from the recipient record of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Wikidata and Wikipedia. The narrative summary is generated from these records. Spotted an error? Send a correction.