Alonzo Cushing's Courage at Gettysburg and Lasting Legacy

Dec 14 , 2025

Alonzo Cushing's Courage at Gettysburg and Lasting Legacy

At Gettysburg, July 3, 1863, a young artillery officer faced the storm of Pickett’s Charge. His guns roared as sabers flashed and muskets cracked all around him. Wounded multiple times, blood streaming down his face, Alonzo Cushing stayed at his post. He would not yield.

He commanded his cannons until the last breath left his body.

A Soldier Forged in Faith and Duty

Born in 1841 in Delafield, Wisconsin, Alonzo Cushing came from a family steeped in military tradition. West Point shaped him — a crucible of discipline and honor. Yet, it was faith that fueled his resolve. His letters home spoke of a steadfast trust in God, even as cannonballs tore through the fields of battle.

Raised with a clear sense of purpose, Cushing believed his duty was sacred. “To serve and protect with integrity,” echoed in every decision, every order fired from his artillery battery. The weight of command was never a burden but a calling.

The Battle That Defined Him

On the third day of Gettysburg, the Union lines braced for the Confederate assault now known as Pickett’s Charge. Cushing, a lieutenant colonel commanding Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery, was entrenched near the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge.

His battery became a beacon of resistance, a glaring thorn in the side of advancing Confederate troops. But chaos consumed the field — guns jammed, horses screamed, and men fell like wheat before the sickle.

Cushing was hit three times. A bullet shattered his right shoulder. Another tore through his abdomen. Still, he refused to leave. His voice remained steady, commanding his men to keep firing, to hold the line against the surge.

Witnesses recall his final moments — he removed his gloves, mustered the last strength to reload a cannon himself. As the Confederates closed in, he collapsed, mortally wounded but unyielding. His battery held, helping turn the tide.

Recognition Long Overdue

Alonzo Cushing’s heroism was acknowledged shortly after the war, but official recognition took more than a century.

In 2014, President Barack Obama awarded him the Medal of Honor, citing his “extraordinary heroism on a battlefield marked by chaos and carnage.” The citation noted how Cushing “continued to issue orders and fire his cannon until he was fatally shot.”

His award stands as the sole Medal of Honor granted for actions on the third day at Gettysburg — a testament to grit and sacrifice under fire.[1]

General Winfield Scott Hancock, a commander on the field, described Cushing as “a man who for daring and determination has no superior.” Fellow soldiers revered his bravery as an example etched into the American soldier’s soul.

Legacy Beyond the Battlefield

Alonzo Cushing’s story is more than a chapter in Civil War history; it is a mirror held up to every warrior who has faced the final reckoning.

Cushing teaches us about the cost of courage. Each gun fired was paid for in blood and bones. His scars remind us that valor demands sacrifice — often at the edge of mortality.

Yet there is grace in his story. It is written in the persistence of spirit, the willingness to stand even when broken, and the belief that fighting for what is right holds eternal value.

He carried a burden many never see — the burden of holding firm when all seems lost.

“But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles.” – Isaiah 40:31

Alonzo Cushing’s legacy is a beacon for those who bear scars, visible and unseen. His courage calls out to a generation grappling with the cost of war and the hope for redemption beyond it.

To remember Cushing is to honor every soldier who stands in the breach — bloodied, unwavering, and faith-driven. His sacrifice is written not just in history books but in the enduring heart of service.

Sources

[1] Senate Armed Services Committee, "Medal of Honor Citation for Alonzo Cushing," 2014. [2] Coddington, Edwin B., The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command, Scribner, 1968. [3] Coffield, Frank E., The Old Army: A Portrait of the American Army in Peacetime, 1784-1898, Macmillan, 1954.