Nov 13 , 2025

Alonzo Cushing's Gettysburg Valor and Medal of Honor

Alonzo Cushing gripped his artillery ramrod with a hand shattering under enemy fire. Around him, bluecoats fell like rag dolls. But the cannons kept roaring—death delivered with relentless precision. A mortal bullet punched through his chest. Still, he would not quit.

That is what courage looks like.

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The Making of a Warrior

Born in 1841 in Delafield, Wisconsin, Alonzo Cushing was no stranger to duty. Raised in a family steeped in military tradition, he entered West Point at just 16, driven by a fierce sense of honor. He was a devout believer, known among peers for his quiet faith and insistent adherence to duty over self.

“I’ve come to see faith as something you act on, not just believe in,” he reportedly said before the war—words that would echo in the hell of Gettysburg.

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The Battle That Defined Him

July 3, 1863. The sun scorched Cemetery Ridge, Pennsylvania. Cushing, an artillery lieutenant in Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery, found himself at the heart of Pickett’s Charge.

The Confederate tide surged in waves, aiming to break the Union line. His guns, positioned in a vulnerable, exposed spot, became the target of brutal infantry and sharpshooters.

Wounded in the arm and leg, Cushing refused to surrender his post. As artillery fell silent around him, he stood over his cannon, directing fire—still issuing orders with ragged breaths.

Reports describe the moment when a minie ball tore through his shoulder and chest, laying him low. But before dying, he raised his sword and shouted to his men to keep firing.

“I will keep my battery in action as long as I live,” Cushing declared—a final vow carved in blood.

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Recognition Earned in Blood

For decades, his valor lingered largely in quiet records. Posthumous recognition was slow. Yet his family and comrades never forgot the price he paid.

In 2014, President Barack Obama awarded Cushing the Medal of Honor, almost 151 years after the battle. The citation read:

“Lieutenant Alonzo H. Cushing distinguished himself by gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty … Despite multiple wounds … he refused to leave the guns … bringing devastating effect on the enemy during Pickett’s Charge.”¹

Fellow soldiers remembered him as a man who faced death with unshaken resolve. Colonel Charles S. Wainwright wrote:

“Cushing was everywhere on that ridge — a man armed not only with sword and pistol but with unyielding spirit.”²

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Legacy Written in Fire

Alonzo Cushing’s scars run deeper than skin. His story is a testament that valor often comes at a steep cost. Battlefields are not a place for half-measures or quitters. They demand everything—breath, blood, soul.

His sacrifice serves as a solemn reminder: courage is found at the edge of survival, when every instinct screams to fall back. Yet he held, until no breath remained.

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

Cushing’s legacy challenges every veteran and civilian alike to confront fear, endure anguish, and act with unwavering commitment.

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He did not fight for glory. He fought so that others might live free.

His final charge is not just history—it is a gospel of sacrifice etched into the bedrock of American valor. And that fire still burns in those who remember, who serve, who carry on.

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Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History + Medal of Honor Citation, Alonzo H. Cushing 2. Wainwright, Charles S. + A Diary of Battle: The Personal Journals of Colonel Charles S. Wainwright

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