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

Jul 24 , 2026

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

Slashed by canister and smoke, Alonzo Cushing stayed in place as the Union line faltered beneath crushing Confederate fire. His hands gripped commands for artillery crews reloading under hellfire—a mortal wound spreading, but his voice still carried: “Keep firing.” The guns must not fall silent. Not here. Not now.

The Boy From Wisconsin, Bound by Duty

Alonzo Herndon Cushing was born into a family of service on January 28, 1841, in Delafield, Wisconsin. The youngest scion of a proud line, he carried the weight of honor like a soldier born, graduating from West Point in 1861 just as the nation tore itself apart. Faith wasn’t an afterthought for Cushing. Raised in a devout Protestant household, his journal entries reveal a man wrestling with fear and resolve, leaning on scripture and the belief that God watches over the righteous even in the valley of death.

“I am but a servant in the Lord’s hands,” he wrote, echoing Psalm 23’s quiet strength amid chaos. His Christian conviction was woven into every order given, every risk taken. Duty was a sacred command.

The Guns of Cemetery Ridge: A Stand Against Oblivion

July 3, 1863. The third day at Gettysburg.

Confederate forces surged forward in what history would brand “Pickett’s Charge,” a desperate gamble to smash Union lines. Cushing commanded Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery positioned on Cemetery Ridge. The artillery under his charge was the thin red line between the Union infantry and a Confederate tidal wave.

Despite relentless fire, Cushing refused to abandon his post. Witnesses describe him propped against a caisson, bleeding yet rallying his men to keep the guns firing. Multiple wounds pierced his body, including a mortal shot through the chest, but he shouted commands until the end. His last act was to steady the defense of an embattled Union flank—enabling infantry to regroup behind that artillery fire.

Colonel Charles Ewing, who later wrote accounts of Gettysburg, called Cushing “the most gallant of men on that awful day” and said his refusal to quit “turned the tide where all seemed lost.” Without those guns, Cemetery Ridge might have fallen—and with it, the Union cause itself[1][2].

Medal of Honor: A Long-Overdue Salute

The Medal of Honor was not bestowed on Cushing until 2014—151 years after his death. The delay was painful but speaks to the slow justice sometimes due veterans whose valor exceeds the record books.

His citation reads:

“For extraordinary heroism on 3 July 1863, while serving as First Lieutenant, Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery, in action at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He voluntarily remained at his station, despite severe wounds, directing his battery until he was killed.”

Lt. Col. John E. Nevin, commanding the 4th U.S. Artillery during the battle, reported:

“Lieutenant Cushing was the embodiment of courage and self-sacrifice. Even when death stared him down, his thoughts were solely on the mission.”

Legacy Etched in Iron and Blood

Cushing’s story is a stark narrative of sacrifice carved into American memory by smoke and shrapnel. His endurance embodies what it means to see beyond pain—toward a cause greater than self. The artillery's roar that day wasn’t just gunfire; it was a proclamation: a stand for unity, a prayer on the battlefield.

His wounds were immediate, fatal. Yet, his spirit indelibly etched a pattern of raw courage copied by generations who pray not for safety but for duty. His insistence on staying despite mortal hurt reminds us that sacrifice isn’t just about dying—it’s about choosing to fight at every moment, even when surrender seems inevitable.

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

For combat veterans and civilians alike, Alonzo Cushing’s life is a charge to live with that fierce devotion—wounded but unyielding, serving something eternal amid the rubble of war.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War (A–F) 2. Bradley M. Gottfried, The Artillery of Gettysburg (Westholme Publishing, 2008)