George Brown was born into slavery in Albemarle County, Virginia, around 1842. He enlisted as a private in the Union army on February 27, 1864, in Knoxville, Tennessee. His enlistment papers describe him as 5 feet, 8 inches tall, with black hair, eyes, and complexion. He mustered in to Company C of the 1st USCT Heavy Artillery Regiment later that day. The regiment was assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, District of East Tennessee, Department of the Cumberland, based in Knoxville.

The regiment participated in the operations against Joseph Wheeler's Confederate cavalry in eastern Tennessee from August 15 to 25, 1864. After this campaign, Brown helped conduct operations in northern Alabama and eastern Tennessee in the winter of 1864-65. From February to April 1865, the regiment played an integral role in Union cavalry commander George Stoneman’s operations from eastern Tennessee into southwestern Virginia and western North Carolina. Upon being reassigned to the 1st Brigade of the 4th Division, the regiment was primarily stationed at Greenville in the District of East Tennessee, until being mustered out. Brown was present for the mustering out of the regiment on the March 31, 1866, at Chattanooga, Tennessee.

While Brown saw a lot of action during his short time in the army, not much is known about his life after, as no pension records or other identifying documents are readily available.