Alonzo Cushing, Gettysburg Artilleryman Who Held the Line

Sep 16 , 2026

Alonzo Cushing, Gettysburg Artilleryman Who Held the Line

The air was thick with smoke and the desperate cries of men broken by lead. Amidst the chaos of Pickett’s Charge, artillery bursts riddled the Union lines. Yet, one gun kept firing—though its captain lay bleeding, his grip unwavering on the wheels. Alonzo Cushing, young artillery officer, refused to yield. As blood drenched the earth beneath his feet, he commanded his guns until death silenced him.

Blood and Honor Born in Wisconsin

Alonzo H. Cushing came from privilege but chose the crucible of war over comfort. Born in Delafield, Wisconsin, 1841, he graduated third in his class at West Point in 1861. His faith was quiet but steady. Raised in a Christian home, Cushing carried a sense of divine duty into battle.

He believed honor came with sacrifice. His letters home brimmed with resolve, revealing a man for whom service meant more than survival. “Duty first, self last,” was his creed long before the roar of cannons.

The Battle That Defined Him: Gettysburg, July 3, 1863

The third day at Gettysburg saw the Confederate Army surge in a desperate gamble. Pickett’s Charge rolled forward like thunder on the Pennsylvania fields. At the center stood Cushing, Lieutenant of Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery, commanding six guns atop Cemetery Ridge.

Despite being outnumbered, outgunned, and critically wounded—not once, but three times—he refused to abandon his post.

His right arm shattered by musket fire. A bullet tore through his hip. Another pierced his groin. Yet, he yelled orders, adjusted aim, and fired canister shot into the advancing horde.

Witnesses reported him propped against his cannon’s limber, bleeding profusely, shouting to reload, not giving ground an inch.

Captain Frederick Freed recounted:

“Cushing was the bravest man I ever saw. His devotion to duty was sublime.”[1]

His final moments blurred with the roar of battle and the thud of falling comrades. Still, he held fast until the Confederate charge broke. Hours later, bleeding to death, Alonzo Cushing’s last act was to save the Union line—and perhaps the war’s fate along with it.

Recognition Deferred: Medal of Honor Awarded Posthumously in 2014

Despite his sacrifice, recognition lagged. The Medal of Honor nomination stalled for decades. Bureaucracy mixed with lost documentation clouded the truth.

Finally, on November 6, 2014—151 years after Gettysburg—President Barack Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to Alonzo Cushing, citing his “extraordinary heroism and selfless devotion to duty” under mortal wounds at Gettysburg.[2]

His citation reads:

“Lieutenant Alonzo H. Cushing, by his gallantry and intrepidity at the Battle of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863, inspired his men and played a pivotal role in repelling the Confederate assault.”

Others, like historian Glenn Tucker, have called Cushing’s courage “a beacon for generations.”[3]

Legacy Etched in Steel and Spirit

Alonzo Cushing’s story fuels the flame of what sacrifice truly demands. His grit speaks through bloodied fields long silent.

He was more than a casualty statistic. He was a man who embodied the doctrine that valor isn't measured only by survival, but by persistence despite certain death.

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

Cushing’s stand reminds veterans and civilians alike: True courage clutches faith and duty tight — even when the end seems near.

The guns fell silent, but Alonzo’s legacy roars on. Not in trophies or monuments alone, but in the quiet refusal to quit—even when the price is all you have left. His blood waters the tree of liberty still. We owe him more than medals. We owe him remembrance and resolve.

In that smoke-choked moment on Cemetery Ridge, a young lieutenant held the line, holding faith, holding fast. That is the cost—and the grace—of war.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War (A-F) 2. The White House, President Obama Awards Medal of Honor to 24 Army Veterans (2014) 3. Glenn Tucker, Echoes from the Battlefield: The Artillery at Gettysburg