Alonzo Cushing Held the Line at Gettysburg in His Last Stand

Oct 22 , 2025

Alonzo Cushing Held the Line at Gettysburg in His Last Stand

The roar of cannonfire filled the July air. Amid the smoke and chaos, a single voice bellowed orders—undaunted. Blood poured from his wounds. Fingers numb and twitching, he refused to yield. He was a lone sentinel holding Death at bay, his guns blazing against an unrelenting Confederate tide. Alonzo Cushing stood his ground until the end.

The Faith Forged in Wisconsin Soil

Born September 18, 1841, in New York but raised in Wisconsin, Alonzo Cushing was a son of a proud military lineage and devout faith. His family lived by a code written in the margins of their Bible and on the scars of their homeland. Discipline, duty, honor—these were not just words, but a calling.

A West Point cadet, class of 1861, Cushing entered the Union Army with a steady resolve rooted in gospel truth. He believed, as Psalm 23 echoes, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” This was the man who stepped into the hellscape of Gettysburg, artillery officer braced to rewrite what courage meant.

The Battle That Defined a Hero

July 3, 1863. The third and final day of Gettysburg. Confederate General George Pickett’s men surged toward Cemetery Ridge—death riding their backs. Cushing commanded Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery, situated precariously on that ridge.

As the rebel tide crashed, his battery’s guns blazed in defiant thunder. Twice wounded, he refused to leave the fight. According to eyewitnesses, bullet wounds tore through his arm and chest, yet he gritted his teeth and shouted commands to keep the guns firing.

“Steady, men! Hold your fire!” was reportedly his refrain, even as blood soaked his uniform and vision blurred.

At one point, he "propped himself up against a gun carriage, leaning on his remaining strength to direct the cannonade." His steadfast artillery fire broke enemy momentum, buying precious time for Union defenders. The man who should have been carried off instead clung to life here—calm, unyielding, immovable.

Minutes later, the mortal wound to his abdomen finally overcame him. Yet, his sacrifice echoed louder than any cannon blast.

Honors Hard-Earned, Recognition Long-Delayed

Alonzo Cushing died on the field that day, just 21 years old. His valor was noted immediately. Yet it took over 150 years for the nation to honor him with the Medal of Honor—granted posthumously in 2014 for “distinguished gallantry in action” at Gettysburg[1].

His citation reads in part:

‘Despite being mortally wounded, First Lieutenant Cushing continued to hold the only artillery position protecting the front of Cemetery Ridge … His unwavering courage contributed to the Union victory.’

Fellow soldiers remembered him as “the bravest among us,” a man who gave all he had, refusing to abandon his guns or his men.

Legacy Etched in Iron and Faith

Cushing’s story is a testament to the warrior’s burden—courage measured not in absence of fear but in doing what must be done despite it. He bore the scars of battle and faith alike, embodying Romans 5:3–4:

“We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

His stand at Gettysburg reminds us the cost of freedom is written in blood and sacrifice. It beckons veterans to remember the grit it takes to face darkness—and civilians to honor those who stand in it for them.

The guns went silent that July afternoon. But Alonzo Cushing's fire still burns—bright, raw, relentless. A soldier’s sacrifice stitched into the fabric of a nation. No glory without a wound. No legacy without a cost.

He held the line, so we might live beyond it.

Sources

[1] U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Alonzo Cushing [2] Flag of Valor: The Battle of Gettysburg and Alonzo Cushing’s Last Stand, Civil War Journal [3] William Frassanito, The Battle of Gettysburg in Maps and Photos