George W. Brush

George Washington Brush was an American soldier, dentist, physician, and politician who served during the American Civil War. He held the rank of Captain, commanding a company within the 34th Infantry Regiment U.S. Colored Troops in the Union Army. He is most notable for his heroic actions during an expedition in South Carolina that earned him the nation's highest military decoration.

On May 24, 1864, the 34th Infantry Regiment was sent on an expedition to the Asheepo River to destroy a railroad trestle. While navigating in heavy fog and darkness, the troop steamer Boston, carrying about 400 soldiers including Brush, ran aground on an oyster bed. Confederate forces quickly established a battery on the river bank and began shelling the stranded vessel.

Under heavy enemy fire, Brush assembled a small volunteer boat crew to ferry the stranded soldiers to the shore. For his gallantry in successfully rescuing a large number of Union soldiers using only a single small boat, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. Following the war, Brush pursued careers in dentistry and medicine, and later served in the New York State Assembly and Senate.