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

Aug 22 , 2026

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

Alonzo Cushing’s hands gripped the carriage wheel, knuckles white, as musket balls ripped the air around him. The roar of cannon fire drowned out any hope of retreat. Blood seeped through his uniform—three mortal wounds didn’t stop him. Not that day. All that mattered was that gun stayed firing. No surrender. No silence.

Born for Battle, Raised in Faith

Alonzo Herser Cushing was no stranger to sacrifice. Born in Wisconsin, 1841, into a family steeped in military tradition and strong Christian faith, he carried their values like armor. West Point sharpened his resolve. The young artillery officer was a believer—not just in God, but a higher call to duty and honor.

His baptism in battle came with every shell fired. Despite the smoke and chaos, one thing never wavered: his quiet, fierce belief that courage under fire was a form of prayer, a holy defiance against despair.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9

This wasn’t empty comfort for Cushing. It was a lifeline. Faith was his fuel. His orders came not just from superiors but from something deeper.

The Battle That Defined Him: Gettysburg, July 3, 1863

When the sun rose behind Cemetery Ridge, the bloodiest hours of the Civil War collided. Pickett’s Charge thundered forward—12,500 Confederate soldiers charged across nearly a mile of open fields. Artillery positions were prime targets.

Cushing commanded Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery, on that ridge, alone against the advancing storm. His was a job that required iron nerves and ruthless precision—firing rounds into the heart of the assault.

A bullet tore through his shoulder first. He was wounded again moments later. Yet he refused to leave the gun line.

Witnesses reported him shouting orders even as blood dripped from his lips, fingers clenched on the wheel, directing fire with a ferocity that stunned friend and foe alike.

He was shot once more—this time, fatally struck in the abdomen. Still, before collapsing, he gave his final command:

“Tell my father I died standing by my guns.”

His battery’s relentless fire turned back Pickett’s division, a turning point that helped decide the battle and, ultimately, the war.

“Cushing’s actions saved the Union line on Cemetery Ridge,” wrote historian Bradley M. Gottfried. “His refusal to abandon his post, bleeding out on the battlefield, earned him a place among America’s bravest.”[1]

Recognition Born of Sacrifice

Alonzo Cushing died July 9, 1863, from wounds sustained in battle, just six days after Gettysburg. Yet, it took over 150 years for his valor to receive the nation’s highest honor.

In 2014, President Barack Obama awarded Cushing the Medal of Honor, citing “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.”[2]

The citation described a soldier who:

“continued to direct his guns and encourage his men, inspiring the artillery battery's continued resistance, despite severe injuries and eventual death.”

Senator Amy Klobuchar called it “a long overdue recognition for a soldier who embodied the highest ideals of service and sacrifice.”[3]

Fellow soldiers remembered Cushing as “a man whose bravery held the line when all seemed lost.”

The Enduring Legacy: Courage Beyond the Flesh

Alonzo Cushing’s name is etched into the stones of Gettysburg and the annals of American valor. Yet his legacy reaches beyond medals and monuments.

He teaches that heroism isn’t measured in the absence of pain but in the presence of steadfast purpose. That leadership is service, even when the cost is death.

In a world quick to forget the price paid for freedom, Cushing’s story demands remembrance.

His blood sanctified ground not just in battle, but in humanity’s ongoing fight against despair and division.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” – John 15:13

For veterans scarred in body and soul, Cushing’s stand is a beacon. For civilians who struggle to grasp the true meaning of sacrifice, it is a solemn call to honor, not just words.

Alonzo Cushing died standing by his guns.

His wounds are wounds of a nation forged under fire, a reminder that courage persists long after the smoke clears.

Remember him—not as a relic of a distant war, but as a standard-bearer for every soldier called to hold the line when all hell breaks loose.

That is the legacy worth dying for. That is the redemption worth living toward.

Sources

[1] University of North Carolina Press – The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command by Bradley M. Gottfried [2] U.S. Army Center of Military History – Medal of Honor citation for Alonzo Cushing [3] U.S. Senate Congressional Records, 2014, remarks by Senator Amy Klobuchar