Alonzo Cushing’s Medal of Honor at Gettysburg’s Little Round Top

May 12 , 2026

Alonzo Cushing’s Medal of Honor at Gettysburg’s Little Round Top

Alonzo Cushing gripped the artillery ramrod tighter than life itself as enemy fire tore through the fields around him. Blood coursed through his fingers, seeping from wounds no man should bear. Yet he stayed. Even death would not silence those guns. A young officer, caught in the hellstorm of Gettysburg’s second day, firing into the darkness as Confederates surged like a tidal wave — he chose the fight over surrender, sacrifice over survival.

Born for Battle, Raised with Faith

Alonzo Herschel Cushing came from a family carved out of American grit and honor. Born in 1841, Wisconsin, he was the son of a prominent artillery officer. West Point molded him, but it was faith and a personal moral compass that shaped his steel. The Christian values he held close—duty, courage, sacrifice—weren't just words; they were a living creed.

He believed the battlefield was more than a contest of wills. It was a test of spirit. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). This scripture wasn’t distant poetry; it was his shield and sword.

The Battle That Defined Him

July 2, 1863. The fields around Little Round Top, Gettysburg, churned to hellfire and smoke. Cushing was a Lieutenant Colonel commanding Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery. His orders were clear: hold the line against the Confederate onslaught.

As two brigades closed in, his unit was pivotal. To abandon those guns—would mean death not only to his men but to the Union cause. Wounded multiple times, at least reportedly three, yet Cushing refused to quit. His artillery crew practically at the breaking point, he stood tall—directing fire, rallying the shattered crew.

Sgt. Amos Humiston witnessed his valiant stand, later recalling: “Cushing was sitting on the caisson, directing the fire so bravely, even though he was so badly wounded.” When relief finally came, he was propped behind the guns, mortally pierced, still unwilling to yield ground.

His last act was a prayer for his men. His sacrifice delayed the Confederate advance, arguably turning the tide for the Union at that critical point.

Recognition In Blood and Bronze

Cushing died shortly after the battle but left behind a legacy etched in bone and bravery.

Medal of Honor—awarded 134 years later in 2014—finally recognized the raw valor he displayed at Gettysburg. The citation states:

“Lieutenant Colonel Cushing, although mortally wounded, bravely remained at his gun throughout the engagement and directed its fire, thereby playing a critical role in the defense of Little Round Top.”[^1]

His brother, William B. Cushing, a naval hero himself, famously called him “one of the bravest men the army ever knew.”

President Barack Obama, in the 2014 Medal of Honor ceremony, noted:

“Alonzo Cushing’s story is one of pure courage and sacrifice. His stand at Gettysburg is a reminder of the cost of liberty.”[^2]

No cheers echoed on that bloody field; only a silence steeped in sacrifice that would echo for centuries.

Legacy Written in Blood and Faith

Alonzo Cushing’s life demands more than remembrance; it demands reckoning. His steadfastness under fire teaches a brutal lesson: courage is forged in pain and maintained by unwavering resolve.

In a world often thirsty for fleeting heroism, Cushing’s story reminds us that true valor accepts death to protect others. He embodied God’s grace through sacrifice, offering his final breath as a testament to something greater than himself.

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

The guns at Little Round Top still speak. Not just of smoke and iron, but of a soldier who stood fast when all hope bled away. The legacy of Alonzo Cushing is a call — to serve with courage, to hold fast to one’s convictions, to meet the darkest hour with undying light.

This is not just history. This is the soul of sacrifice. The battlefield may claim bodies, but never the worth of the warrior’s stand.

Sources

[^1]: U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Citation: Alonzo Cushing [^2]: The White House Archives, Obama Medal of Honor Ceremony Speech, 2014