Sobel Wiki
Advertisement
Benjamin Rush

Dr. Benjamin Rush.

Doctor Benjamin Rush (1746 - ?) was a physician and chemist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who served as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress and participated in the Wilderness Walk.

Rush was born on 4 January 1746 in Philadelphia to a farmer and gunsmith named John Rush and his wife, the proprietor of a general store named Susanna Hall Rush. Benjamin Rush proved to have a quick mind, gaining a bachelor of arts degree from the College of New Jersey and studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh, where he was awarded a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1768. Rush returned to Philadelphia in 1769 and set up a medical practice.

As the American Crisis worsened in the early 1770s Rush came to support American independence. He was chosen as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress in 1776, where he supported and signed the Declaration of Independence. Rush's medical expertise led to his being appointed to the Congress's medical committee. He also worked in the field, accompanying the Philadelphia militia as it opposed General Sir William Howe's Philadelphia campaign.

After the American defeats in Philadelphia and the Battle of Saratoga, Rush turned on General George Washington, writing to Virginia Governor Patrick Henry to complain about Washington's leadership of the Continental Army. Rush's efforts helped to convince the Congress to replace Washington with General Artemus Ward, leading to Washington's resignation and the disintegration of the Continental Army at Valley Forge.

Following the collapse of the Rebellion in 1778, Rush chose to join the Wilderness Walk being organized in 1780 by former rebel general Nathanael Greene. Rush was one of a handful of prominent men from the northern colonies to join the Walk, along with his fellow Pennsylvanian George Clymer and Alexander Hamilton of New York. Sobel makes no further mention of Rush after the Wilderness Walk, so it is possible that he perished during the journey.

Benjamin Rush has no entry in Sobel's index.

Advertisement