Alonzo Cushing and the Gettysburg Guns That Held the Line

Nov 24 , 2025

Alonzo Cushing and the Gettysburg Guns That Held the Line

The air thickened with smoke and sweat. Nine guns lined Cemetery Ridge, but as Confederate troops surged, only one man stood unbowed—artillery captain Alonzo Cushing. Wounded again, bleeding from a shattered leg, chest pierced, he stayed behind the guns. He refused to quit.

Blood and Honor: A Soldier’s Roots

Alonzo H. Cushing came from a family where duty wasn’t a choice; it was breath. Born in 1841 into a legacy of military service and high regard, his father a prominent lawyer and his grandfather a Revolutionary War officer, Cushing grew in the shadow of sacrifice.

West Point shaped him into a custodian of discipline and faith. He was quiet but fierce—a man who carried his beliefs not just in words but through action. His letters show a young officer committed to something beyond himself. Scripture comforted him:

"Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." — Revelation 2:10

To Cushing, honor was not a decoration. It was a covenant. A promise to stand firm when others fall.

The Battle That Defined Him

Gettysburg. July 3, 1863. The Confederate Army emerged like a violent storm—Pickett’s Charge, waves of men crashing toward Union lines.

Cushing was an artillery captain with Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery. His guns peppered advancing infantry. At first, his position was strong, but the fight devolved into chaos. The enemy closed in. Many artillerymen fled or fell, but not Cushing.

He was wounded in the leg early—bone shattered, agonizing. Report after report noted his grimace but his continuance. Medics pleaded for him to retreat.

He refused.

He moved the remaining guns. Ordered his men as best he could, despite failing strength. Twice more he was pierced—bullet to the chest, fragments tearing his flesh. Still, he fired until a final, fatal wound dropped him.

His last order reportedly was to keep firing. For hours, the Union guns unleashed hell, blunting the Confederate push. His steadfastness helped hold the ridge, a linchpin of the Union line at Gettysburg.

Recognition Forged in Valor

Alonzo Cushing died on that field, aged 22, a silhouette of refusal to surrender. His bravery was clear to all who witnessed the carnage. Yet, his Medal of Honor came 151 years later—awarded posthumously in 2014 by President Barack Obama.

The citation spoke plainly:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty... voluntarily continued to direct artillery fire from his severely wounded position throughout the evening, and until he fell mortally wounded at the guns.”

General Daniel Butterfield, who was near Cushing at Gettysburg, described him in his report:

“Lieutenant Cushing showed a courage and presence of mind that was in the highest degree admirable.”¹

The long wait for recognition speaks to a wider truth—sometimes heroes are forgotten in the shadow of greater battles. But valor carved into the soft earth won’t stay buried.

Enduring Legacy: A Testament of Courage and Redemption

Cushing’s story is more than a Civil War footnote. It is the raw, unvarnished edge of sacrifice. He wasn’t merely brave; he was resolute in purpose against impossible odds. He made the choice to stand, not because it was easy, but because it was right.

His legacy challenges those who wear the uniform—and those who thank them—to understand that courage often demands more than bold moments. It demands endurance past pain, past fear, past death.

For every soldier whose face we never know, who fought and fell unnamed, Cushing’s guns blaze a truth: Sacrifice is not lost. It echoes—steady and deep.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13

We honor Alonzo Cushing, not just for the medals, but for the legacy of a soldier who drew the line in blood, stood fast in faith, and fired the last shot for a cause greater than himself.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War (A-L) 2. National Park Service, The Battle of Gettysburg 3. "President Obama awards Medal of Honor to Alonzo Cushing," U.S. Department of Defense Press Release, 2014 4. Butterfield, Daniel. Official Report of the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863