Richard Henry Rush was born on January 14, 1825, in London, England, to Richard and Catherine Rush. His father was a National Republican politician who served as ambassador to Great Britain. His grandfathers, Benjamin Rush and Richard Stockton, both signed the Declaration of Independence. The family returned to America in 1825.

 

He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1846, and he received a commission as a 2^nd lieutenant in the 2^nd United States Artillery. He served in the Mexican American War. He was promoted to 1^st lieutenant in December 1847, and he spent the early 1850s working on a coastal survey. He resigned from the army in July 1854. He married Susan Yerby, and they had at least five children: Madison, born around 1859; Charlotte, born around 1860; Susan, born around 1862; Julia, born around 1864; and Benjamin, born around 1870.

 

By the early 1860s, he was living in Pennsylvania. When the Civil War erupted, he organized a regiment of soldiers, which eventually became the 6^th Pennsylvania Cavalry. He served as colonel, and the regiment took part in the Peninsula campaign, the Seven Days’ Battles, and the Battle of Antietam. He fell ill in early 1863, and army officials eventually transferred him to the Provost Marshal General’s Bureau. He resigned on July 1, 1864.

 

He returned to Pennsylvania after leaving the army. He died of heart failure in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 17, 1893

 

Image: Richard H. Rush (courtesy Wikicommons)

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