George Frederick Phillips
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George Frederick Phillips, (March 8, 1862 at Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada – June 4, 1904 in Cambridge, Massachusetts) is a Medal of Honor winner.
Biography
George Phillips went to Galveston, Texas where he joined the United States Navy. During the Spanish-American War he was aboard ship that made its way to the entrance to the harbor at Santiago de Cuba. There, the USS Merrimac (1898), a 3362-ton collier was supplying coal to U.S. warships. On June 3, 1898, in a daring attempt to bottle up the Spanish cruiser squadron, the Merrimac was scuttled inside the entrance of Santiago Harbor. Under heavy fire from the Spanish shore batteries, Machinist First Class Phillips displayed extraordinary heroism throughout this operation.
In recognition of his valor, on November 2, 1899 he was awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration.
George Phillips died at the age of 42 in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1904 and his body was returned home to Canada where he was interred in the Fernhill Cemetery in his hometown of Saint John, New Brunswick.