Dec 21 , 2025
Alonzo Cushing's Last Stand at Gettysburg and Courage
Blood runs red as the cannon roars.
Alonzo Cushing, barely twenty-four, holds the line with shattered ribs and a shattered world closing in. Bullets whistle past. His arm mangled, his breath ragged, he guns his battery one last time. No retreat. No surrender. Only the thunderous promise of artillery fire—until the last breath.
The Man Behind the Gun
Born into privilege and duty, Alonzo Cushing hailed from a family etched with service and sorrow. West Point graduate, 1861, bent on honor and obedience. He wore his faith quietly but firmly—a soldier’s whispered prayer on storm-swept nights. His was no reckless courage but a steely resolve born of conviction: fight for what’s right, even if it kills you.
The son of a Civil War general, he carried a legacy like a cross on his back. The war tore families apart, yet Alonzo believed redemption came through sacrifice. His journal hints at this wrestle—sin, duty, salvation, all mingled under a bloodied sky.
The Battle That Defined Him
July 3, 1863. The blood-soaked fields of Gettysburg. Confederate forces roll like dark waves against the Union positions on Cemetery Ridge. Cushing commands Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery. His guns—48-pounders—represent one of the last lines of defense.
As Confederate infantry surged forward during Pickett’s Charge, Cushing’s battery took brutal punishment. “I feel faint,” he reportedly told his comrades after being shot multiple times, but he kept issuing orders. When command structure faltered around him, he grasped the lanyard to fire cannons himself.
His right arm shattered, he refused amputation or rest. He stayed in the thick of hell, adjusting aim with fading strength. Witnesses described a man “grim and unyielding” as musket balls tore through his command post.
Cushing fell—mortally wounded, a bullet piercing his chest, a mortal blow. Yet his guns remained silent only after falling. His final command: keep firing, hold the line.
Recognition Beyond the War
Posthumous honors trickled in, but none until over 100 years later did Alonzo’s valor receive the Medal of Honor in 2014. President Barack Obama said the award recognized “selfless devotion to duty under the most harrowing conditions.”[1]
His citation captures raw, unvarnished bravery:
"For extraordinary heroism on 3 July 1863, near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, while serving with Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery, in action against Confederate forces during Pickett's Charge, Lieutenant Cushing displayed conspicuous gallantry by continuing to direct gunfire despite multiple mortal wounds.”
His commanding officers called him “an iron will in the face of death.” Comrades remembered his resilience and calm under barrage.
A Legacy Forged in Fire and Faith
Alonzo Cushing’s story is not merely of bloodshed but of steadfast honor. His life offers a brutal clarity: courage is not the absence of fear or pain but the refusal to be broken by it.
In the violent crucible of Gettysburg, he became a symbol—a reminder of sacrifice beyond medals. A man who knew the cost of war deeply and accepted it without question.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13
His legacy stretches beyond history books into the marrow of those who serve and fight for a cause larger than themselves. It challenges veterans and civilians alike to witness sacrifice honestly, to carry scars with dignity, and to find redemption in purpose.
Alonzo Cushing’s last fire was no mere echo of battle. It’s an eternal call—stand firm. Carry the fight. Honor the fallen.
Sources
1. U.S. Army Center of Military History + Medal of Honor Citation for Alonzo Cushing 2. Michael A. Cavanaugh, The Last Full Measure: The Life and Death of Alonzo Cushing (2014) 3. Congressional Medal of Honor Society + Official Award Announcements, 2014
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