Philip Moses Russell

Philip Moses Russell was born in Portsmouth England, son of animmigrant from Oberfell in the Rhineland. A merchant, Russell madehis way to the United States as a young man, settling inPhiladelphia.

With the outbreak of the Revolution, he enlisted with the Americanforces as a surgeon’s mate, an assistant to the regiments’medical officer, although he does not appear to have had any medicaltraining. He served at the Battle of Brandywine and served under thedirect command of George Washington at Valley Forge in the winter of1777-1778. Russell grew sick and suffered a loss of hearing andvision, leaving service in 1780. Years later his son Moses recalled aletter to his father from Washington that would later burn in a fire.Washington wrote, according to Moses Russell that Philip had served,“with honor to himself and his country and he [Wsashington] withpleasure bore testimony to his assiduous attention to the sick andwounded, as well as his cool and collected deportment in battle.”

Russell returned to Philadelphia where, in 1780 he married EstherMordecai, daughter of Mordecai Moses Mordecai.They had ten children.

Philip Moses Russell

Original 1780–1790