Alonzo Cushing, Gettysburg Hero Awarded the Medal of Honor

Apr 18 , 2026

Alonzo Cushing, Gettysburg Hero Awarded the Medal of Honor

Bullets screamed past his head. The earth shook as cannons roared. Alonzo Cushing, already bleeding from three mortal wounds, gripped the reins. His artillery crew was shattered, but he kept firing. Commanding the 4th U.S. Artillery—Battery A—he refused to quit. They needed every shot to hold Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg.

From West Point to War’s Crucible

Born June 17, 1841, in Delafield, Wisconsin, Alonzo Herbert Cushing was no stranger to duty. West Point shaped him—a crucible of discipline and unyielding resolve. Graduating in 1861, his faith was quietly woven through his letters and reports, reflecting an inner code. A man who wrestled with God as much as war.

His commitment to honor was forged in scripture:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

This wasn’t a man chasing glory. It was a man anchored in justice and sacrifice—ready to lay every ounce on the line.

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

The third day at Gettysburg was hell made flesh. General Lee’s army launched Pickett’s Charge—a desperate gamble. At the heart of this maelstrom stood Cushing’s battery, positioned on Cemetery Ridge. The cannon crew was pivotal to stopping the Confederate advance.

Early that afternoon, Union infantry staggered beneath an overwhelming assault. Cushing, commanding a small command of only seven men after casualties, operated two remaining cannons. Artillery fire was critical. Losing position meant the Confederate breakthrough.

A saber cut his head, a bullet shattered his leg, and a shell tore into his side—but he stayed upright. Cushing bent over his guns, directing fire, refusing to abandon his post. Witnesses say he was shouting orders, steadying his men, defiant to the end.

His final hours cracked with grim resolve. According to soldier accounts, when asked if he wished to be carried away, he refused, choosing to die standing, guns firing. The Rebels pressed closer, relentless and brutal. At last, a bullet found his heart.

Lieutenant William F. Fox wrote in the Official Records:

“Lieutenant Cushing’s death was a severe loss to the battery and the service. His gallantry and steadiness during the fight were beyond praise.”

His death, July 3, 1863, sealed his place among the war’s immortals.

Hard-Won Recognition

That kind of valor isn’t easily rewarded—least of all in the clamor of war’s aftermath. But truth endures.

Nearly 150 years later, on November 6, 2014, more than a century and a half after the cannons fell silent, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Alonzo Cushing the Medal of Honor.[1]

The citation states:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Battery Commander… Though pierced by enemy fire and near death, Cushing remained at his post... notably halting the Confederate advance.”

Medal of Honor recipient David Bellavia, a modern warrior, remarked on Cushing:

“That’s the kind of courage that echoes through generations—a man who stood his ground when everything burned around him.”

Legacy of Sacrifice and Redemption

Alonzo Cushing didn’t fight for medals. He fought because he knew something raw and true: freedom demands sacrifice. Blood, sweat, and pain beneath the surface of history’s grand narratives.

His story is reminder that courage often comes dark and broken. It’s not tidy. It’s not comfortable. It’s hell—and grace side by side.

There is redemption in sacrifice, born not from the absence of fear, but from ruling it. Cushing's steadfastness at his guns on Cemetery Ridge reminds veterans and civilians alike that some wounds carve legacies deeper than stone or bronze.

As Paul wrote,

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)

Alonzo Cushing kept the faith until the end. And through the smoke and blood of Gettysburg, that faith still stands, a beacon to those who inherit the battle-scarred mantle of freedom.

Sources

1. United States Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War (A–L) 2. Fox, William F., Regimental Losses in the American Civil War, 1889 3. Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume 27, Part 3, 1889 4. Whitehouse.gov, President Obama Awards Medal of Honor to Alonzo Cushing, 2014