Alonzo Cushing’s Gettysburg Sacrifice and Posthumous Medal of Honor

Oct 31 , 2025

Alonzo Cushing’s Gettysburg Sacrifice and Posthumous Medal of Honor

He bled for every inch of ground, every heartbeat counted in that hellfire.

Alonzo Cushing died firing his cannon at Gettysburg, broken but unyielding—an artillery officer who held the line beneath a storm of bullets and steel.

Born for Battle and Faith

Alonzo Waldo Cushing came from a family steeped in service and sacrifice. Born in 1841 in Wisconsin, raised among tales of duty and the weight of honor. West Point molded him—not just into a soldier—but a man who believed there was a sacred purpose behind every sacrifice.

Faith wasn't a window dressing; it was armor. His father was a church leader, instilling in Alonzo a fierce devotion to God and country. “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,” a psalm he surely carried when the guns roared. The code he lived by demanded discipline, courage, and above all, relentless commitment to the mission ahead.

The Battle That Defined Him

July 3, 1863. The third day at Gettysburg. The Union line was fragile, malleable under Lee’s assault—Pickett’s Charge. Cushing, a 22-year-old first lieutenant in the 4th U.S. Artillery, commanded Battery A. They held a crucial spot on Cemetery Ridge, the frontline against the Confederate surge.

Explosions shredded the air. The battery was under merciless attack; men fell like grain beneath a sickle. Cushing refused to abandon his guns, even after receiving mortal wounds. According to eyewitness accounts, he climbed the parapet, rallying the gunners. Blood dripping, face etched by pain but eyes blazing with unbroken will.

He kept ordering the cannon to fire, targeting Confederate troops hammering the Union line. His actions delayed the enemy long enough to stymie their drive, allowing reinforcements to stabilize the defense.

One of his comrades later said,

“Lieutenant Cushing’s gallantry was a beacon in the dark. He was the rock that held the torrent back.”[^1]

Even as his life ebbed away, Cushing was a living testament to unyielding courage. He died that day, a warrior kneeling, never lowering his gun.

Honor in the Aftermath

It took decades for the nation to formally recognize the magnitude of Cushing’s sacrifice. The Medal of Honor came posthumously in 2014—151 years later—signed by President Obama. The citation details his extraordinary heroism at Gettysburg, lauding him for maintaining “command of his battery despite being mortally wounded.”

President Obama remarked during the award presentation:

“Alonzo Cushing’s bravery epitomizes the highest calling of service and sacrifice.”[^2]

A symbolic justice for a soldier whose battlefield valor was undeniable but lost in the fog of time. His story—once overshadowed by the broader sweep of Gettysburg’s horrors—emerged as a sharp, unyielding light.

A Legacy of Sacrifice and Redemption

Cushing’s name is carved not just into monuments but into the soul of what it means to fight for something greater than yourself. He reminds generations of warriors that valor does not capitulate to pain or death. Every war is full of men like Cushing—forgotten heroes who hold the line when all hope seems lost.

His sacrifice speaks beyond military history: it is a call to reckon with the cost of freedom. The battlefields may quiet, but the scars—the invisible ones—linger in the hearts of those left behind.

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

That was Cushing’s story writ in blood. A young officer who chose the hard line, the last stand, steadfast until the final breath. His legacy challenges today’s warriors and civilians alike—to remember the price paid, to honor the scars, and to carry forward with unrelenting purpose.

In remembering Alonzo Cushing, we confront the raw truth: war is hell. But in hell, men like him forge redemption.

[^1]: The War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Volume 27, Part 2 [^2]: The White House Archives, Medal of Honor ceremony transcript, 2014