Alonzo Cushing's Courage at Gettysburg and the Medal of Honor

Jan 02 , 2026

Alonzo Cushing's Courage at Gettysburg and the Medal of Honor

The cannon smoke clouded the dawn sky.

A young officer, barely twenty-five, stood firm in the cratered fields of Gettysburg. Bullets ripped past, artillery rounds tore the earth around his position. Blood pooled beneath the wheels of his guns. Still, Captain Alonzo Cushing refused to yield.

A mortal wound blistered his chest. But he gripped the fuse lanyard with burning fingers. He kept firing—his defiance a gauntlet thrown at death itself.

The Formative Fires of Honor

Born in Wisconsin, 1841, Alonzo Herndon Cushing was carved from a different cloth. West Point bred him into a brotherhood of discipline and duty. He graduated in 1861, just as the nation tore open.

Faith ran deep in his veins. Letters home from the warfront reveal a man leaning on scripture for strength. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” was more than words. It was his anchor amid the storm.

His honor was simple: serve with every breath until the last, never abandon the line, protect those who trusted him. The young artillery officer carried the weight of that creed squarely on his shoulders.

The Battle That Defined Him

July 3, 1863—The second day at Gettysburg wound down. The Confederates launched Pickett’s Charge, a desperate gamble against fortified Union lines. Cushing commanded Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery, on Cemetery Ridge, the linchpin that held the Union center.

Outnumbered, his guns faced relentless infantry and artillery fire. Several of his detachment wounded or killed. Amid the chaos, Cushing remained glued to his position, ordering his gunners to keep firing into the advancing rebel ranks.

His left arm shattered. He refused evacuation. His breast was pierced repeatedly. Blood seeped through his uniform. Yet he crawled forward, still directing fire, shouting orders over the din.

Witnesses recalled a moment where he knelt by the cannon, propping himself up with one hand, eyes blazing with unyielding fire. The attack faltered. The Confederates broken. His battery helped turn the tide that day.

Finally, as the line held fast, Cushing succumbed. His last act was a declaration of sacrifice etched in combat’s raw ledger: fight until the end, or never leave the fight at all.

Recognition Beyond the Grave

Cushing’s valor was recognized posthumously decades later. In 2014, President Obama awarded him the Medal of Honor—the highest tribute for gallantry—cementing a legacy long overdue.

The official citation reads: “Despite mortal wounds, Capt. Cushing refused to leave the field. He remained in command and continued to direct effective artillery fire.”

His comrades spoke of him as a “lion of courage,” a man who held the lines when all else seemed lost. Brigadier General Henry Hunt, the Union’s chief of artillery, called his defense “a singular example of heroism.”

Legacy Etched in Blood and Valor

Alonzo Cushing’s story is not just about bravery in battle—it is about the cost of courage, the weight of duty, and sacrifice that transcends time. The Battle of Gettysburg was a crucible, but Cushing’s stand symbolizes every soldier’s eternal struggle between surrender and steadfastness.

His sacrifice echoes for those who bear scars—visible or buried deep within—and for those who cherish freedom paid for in blood.

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

Today, when the guns fall silent, his story reminds us: courage means standing when it’s easier to fall, persevering beyond pain, and finding redemption in sacrifice.

To the warriors who come after, and the civilians who remember—Captain Alonzo Cushing’s name is a solemn creed carved into history’s unforgiving stones.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Citations 2. John C. Waugh, Gettysburg: The Campaign That Saved America 3. Library of Congress, Alonzo Cushing Personal Correspondence 4. White House Press Release, Medal of Honor Award Ceremony 2014