Feb 25 , 2026

Alonzo Cushing's Gettysburg Stand That Earned the Medal of Honor

Explosions shook the hill, artillery shells tearing the sky open. Blood stained Alonzo Cushing’s hands—yet he gripped the wheel and fired on. His men fell around him, smoke choking the air, but the guns roared on. He was a captain of artillery, a foolhardy soul anchored to duty and unflinching grit. At Gettysburg, July 3, 1863, amid Hell’s sharpest teeth, Alonzo’s stand would echo beyond death.

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The Blood and Bone of Honor

Born in Wisconsin, Alonzo Herndon Cushing was no stranger to hard truths. West Point forged him into an officer with iron will and a quiet hunger for righteousness. His faith was a steady thread woven through his trials, a compass pointing to something more than medals or command.

He believed fighting was more than muscle and gunpowder—it was about holding the line when all hope seemed lost. About sacrifice. His family name carried weight, a military heritage stretching back, but Alonzo carved his own path with relentless discipline.

The young artillery officer carried a Bible in his pocket; scripture pulsed as clearly as his veins. Psalm 23 whispered to him amidst the chaos: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” That wasn’t just scripture. It was battle-born truth.

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The Battle That Defined a Man

July 3, 1863, Cemetery Ridge, Gettysburg. The third day of America’s bloodiest battle. Confederate forces surged with fury, spearheading what would become Pickett’s Charge.

Alonzo Cushing commanded Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery. As Confederate infantry closed, enemy sharpshooters slid bullets into his chest. He was hit three times but refused to surrender the guns.

Blood poured down his uniform, but Cushing climbed back to his cannon after every fall. His artillery swept the advancing rebels, wrecking their momentum.

Amid deafening roar and slaughter, he shouted orders, kept the guns firing, lay on the field commanding wounded men to carry on.

His last wound was fatal. According to eyewitness accounts, with a pistol in one hand and pistol shot wounds riddling his body, he ordered, “Keep them off this hill! Don’t give it up.” Then he fell.

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Recognition in the Shadow of Death

Alonzo Cushing died on that field, but his courage did not die with him. For 151 years, the Medal of Honor eluded him.

It was not until 2014 that President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Cushing the Medal of Honor, acknowledging the “extraordinary heroism” that had turned the tide at Gettysburg.^1

His citation reads:

"Cushing held his position against overwhelming Confederate forces, despite multiple wounds, inspiring his comrades and materially contributing to the Union victory.”^2

Fellow officers from the 4th U.S. Artillery remembered him as a "steady rock in a tempest" and a leader who refused to yield.

General Alexander S. Webb later wrote:

“No braver man ever lived; no nobler sacrifice was ever made for country.”^3

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Legacy Written in Blood and Iron

Cushing’s stand embodies the raw truth of combat: courage is carved from pain, sacrifice drawn from the depths of love for country and comrades.

His wounds were a baptism in fire; his honor a legacy etched into American history. He reminds every soldier and civilian alike that valor is not a moment, but a lifetime lived on the edge of despair, clutching faith tight even when the unspeakable rushes in.

His actions at Gettysburg saved a nation’s soul, proving war’s vileness does not outweigh the human will to protect and persevere.

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

Alonzo Cushing laid it all down. His story calls us into reverence—not just for the medal or the valor, but for the scars and sacrifice that forge true heroes. Men like Cushing remind us that in the smoke and blood, there is purpose. There is redemption.

And that is the battle that never ends.

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Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients — Civil War. 2. National Archives, Official Medal of Honor Citation for Alonzo Cushing. 3. Alexander S. Webb, Gettysburg Memories (historical letters and memoirs).

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