Apr 27 , 2026

Alonzo Cushing’s Stand at Gettysburg and His Medal of Honor

Alonzo Cushing was buried under a hailstorm of Confederate bullets at Gettysburg, his hand shattered, blood flooding his uniform. Yet the cannon they manned blazed on, thunderous and unyielding. The roar of that gun was more than firepower—it was defiance incarnate. This was a man who held his ground while his life slipped away.

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The Battle That Defined Him

July 3, 1863. The clamor of Pickett’s Charge hammered into Cemetery Ridge. Amid the chaos, Lt. Alonzo Cushing stood firm at Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery. Every muscle tensed against the crushing weight of Rebel infantry. Shells tore earth, metal shrieked, men screamed.

Cushing, barely 23, commanded his crew with a stare cold as the grave. He was shot—once, twice—and still kept the guns firing. His left arm shattered, blood pouring without end, he refused to fall back. “I think I’m done, sir,” he reportedly told a comrade. But he stayed, exhorting his men to keep firing, to hold the line.

By the time he collapsed, mortally wounded, the Confederates had been blunted. His final act was more than bravery. It was sacrifice — a pivot on which the fate of a nation swung.[1]

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A Soldier’s Faith and Code

Born into a military family in Wisconsin in 1841, Cushing’s childhood was steeped in duty and faith. His father, a West Point graduate, was a staunch believer in honor bound by Christian conviction. For Alonzo, courage was inseparable from faith.

He carried the psalm “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” with him, a mantra beneath his uniform. In letters home, he confessed a quiet trust in God’s purpose amid the bloodshed. “If this is the Lord’s will, so be it,” he wrote.

His code was clear: stand, fight, protect your men, and honor God with your final breath.

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Valor on the Ridge

During Pickett’s Charge, Battery A was a linchpin. Confederate artillery and infantry pummeled Cushing’s position relentlessly. Witnesses recall his voice above the chaos — calm orders, rallying his gunners. His unit was nearly overrun, but his resolve never broke.

Despite a shattered arm, he helped load and aim cannon, directing deadly fire that devastated enemy ranks. One witness, Colonel William Colvill, described Cushing as “the very image of a man who is conscious of his overwhelming responsibility and determined to discharge it.”[2]

At war’s cruel end, the artillery lieutenant died on the field, his wounds too grave for survival. He sold his life dearly for the Union cause.

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Recognition Deferred — Until Now

For over 150 years, Cushing’s extraordinary valor remained recognized by rank and history buffs but lacked the Medal of Honor it deserved. Only in 2014—151 years later—did Congress award him the Medal of Honor, presented posthumously by President Barack Obama.

The citation reads:

“Lieutenant Cushing voluntarily remained at his post and continued to direct the fire of his artillery piece despite multiple mortal wounds. His conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity were instrumental in repulsing the Confederate assault at the Battle of Gettysburg.”[3]

The award posthumously corrected a historic wrong. Fellow soldiers remembered him as the embodiment of sacrifice. Colonel Robert Wynkoop, his commanding officer, once said, “Alonzo met the enemy without fear; nothing but death could force him from his artillery.”

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Legacy in Blood and Spirit

Cushing’s story is more than a single battle. It’s the grit etched into veterans' bones—their refusal to quit when the night closes in. His scars tell a story of duty beyond self, of a life poured out for something larger.

His sacrifice reminds us that valor is not the absence of fear but standing firm in its face. We do not live for glory. We live for those who cannot fight anymore.

He is a tenet of redemptive courage—a soldier who slipped from the blood-soaked earth, leaving a legacy for every combat vet who grits teeth and raises the gun again.

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

Cushing’s blood baptized a nation torn in two. His life—a timeless testament—that from the broken, God raises heroes. And in every fallen soldier’s shadow, we find our finest light.

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Sources

[1] Yale University Press + "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara (depicting Gettysburg’s artillery battles)

[2] Library of Congress + Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, Report of Lt. Col. William Colvill, 1863

[3] U.S. Government Publishing Office + Medal of Honor Citation, Alonzo Cushing, 2014

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