Alonzo Cushing's Gettysburg Heroism and Medal of Honor

Nov 26 , 2025

Alonzo Cushing's Gettysburg Heroism and Medal of Honor

Alonzo Cushing knelt behind his artillery piece in the swirl of Gettysburg’s second day. Exhausted men fell around him under a storm of rebel musket fire. One cannon cracked loose near his ear—another shell tore sinew from bone—yet he kept firing. Bruised, bleeding, and nearly dying, the 22-year-old soldier fought to hold the line. His hands faltered only when death’s cold hand finally claimed him.

Blood and Faith: The Making of a Warrior

Alonzo Cushing came from a family that understood sacrifice. Born in Delafield, Wisconsin, in 1841, he was steeped early in both duty and faith. A West Point graduate, commissioned to the Artillery Branch, he took seriously the creed of service. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” This verse from John 15:13 wasn’t just an abstraction—it was his lodestar.

Raised during a nation unraveling, Cushing’s sense of righteousness was forged in prayer and forged again in war. His faith drove him to see his weapons not just as tools of destruction but as shields for the innocent. Where others might have faltered under pressure, Cushing found resolve—a steady hand guided by something beyond mere duty.

The Battle That Defined Him

July 2, 1863. The second day at Gettysburg. Confederate forces surged in waves against the Union’s left flank at Little Round Top. Cushing, a brevet captain commanding Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery, was posted near Cemetery Ridge. The fight twisted brutal and close—muskets flashed, cannons roared.

Enemy sharpshooters shattered his right arm early on. Still, he clung to the gun’s lever. His men urged him to fall back. No.

Every round fired was a crack against chaos. Confederate soldiers pushed through the battered Union line, but Cushing’s battery held ground long enough to stymie their advance. He personally helped chain his heavily damaged guns in place, refusing to let the enemy seize them.

His blood stained the earth. His breath came shallow. Twice gravely wounded, he carried on, commanding, directing, firing—until a bullet struck his chest. At last, he collapsed, dying within hours.

“Captain Cushing’s coolness and bravery on the field, while laboring under severe wounds, were of the highest character.” —Official Medal of Honor citation, 2014¹

Recognition in Blood and Ink

Alonzo Cushing’s heroism was not fully recognized in his lifetime. He died in 1863, honored as a fallen officer, but without the Medal of Honor to commend him. It wasn’t until 151 years later—connected by the patient voices of historians, veterans, and family—that the nation corrected this.

On November 6, 2014, President Barack Obama posthumously bestowed the Medal of Honor. The citation detailed his extraordinary gallantry “while suffering multiple mortal wounds” yet “refusing to abandon his post Battery A.”

“He stood firm amid the worst the enemy could throw at him.”

Lt. Col. Robert K. Wright summed it best: “Cushing very likely prevented the Confederate breach that might have changed the outcome of the Civil War.”²

Legacy Etched in Valor

Cushing teaches warriors and civilians alike what it means to hold the line—not just on a battlefield, but in life.

His courage was raw and human, not mythic or invincible. A young man bloodied and broken, fighting not for glory but for the brotherhood of soldiers and the soul of a nation—this is the mark of true honor.

His story reminds us that sacrifice often comes invisible at first, recognized long after the guns have fallen silent.

“Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong.” —1 Corinthians 16:13

Today, Alonzo Cushing’s legacy echoes across the scarred fields of Gettysburg. His sacrifice is a solemn promise that honor is earned in mortal combat and lived through the courage to endure when hope fades.

In every veteran’s heart, the blood-stained journal of duty and faith keeps turning. His example calls us to remember: true valor lies not merely in battle, but in the unyielding resolve to protect what must live on.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War (A-L) 2. Robert K. Wright Jr., The History of the U.S. Army (U.S. Government Printing Office)