Alonzo Cushing's Last Stand at Gettysburg and Enduring Legacy

Oct 07 , 2025

Alonzo Cushing's Last Stand at Gettysburg and Enduring Legacy

Alonzo Cushing's last stand at Gettysburg was a storm of iron and fire. Amid shattered cannon, smoke-choked air, and screaming men, he sat firm behind his artillery wheel, blood leaking from mortal wounds—still firing. Refusing to yield. Refusing to die unnoticed. Every shell he lobbed back into the Confederate assault was a line drawn in the dirt between survival and obliteration.

The Making of a Warrior and a Man

Born in Wisconsin, 1841, Alonzo Cushing was steeped in a family legacy of service and faith. The Cushing name bore weight in military circles; his father was a naval officer, his brothers soldiers too. But Alonzo was more than bloodlines and drills; he carried a quiet conviction rooted in scripture and duty.

Raised with reverence for Colossians 3:23—“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men”—Cushing’s tenacity was both spiritual and practical. His rigid West Point training at the United States Military Academy hammered his character into shape. But the man beneath the uniform moved with genuine humility. His respect for honor went beyond medals—it was about holding the line for the men beside him and the country he believed God called him to serve.

The Battle That Defined Him

July 3, 1863. The third day of Gettysburg. The Union line was faltering under an overwhelming Confederate assault. Lieutenant Cushing commanded Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery, positioned at an exposed section known as “Sherfy’s Peach Orchard.” The enemy closed, a wave intent on breaking through.

By midday, Cushing had already been wounded multiple times. Shrapnel tore his legs; musket balls ripped his arms. Yet, he remained glued to his post, refusing aid and ignoring the pleas of his men. Witnesses recounted how Cushing sat propped against his cannon limber, blood pooling beneath him, working the firing mechanism with one hand until his final breath.

He knew the battery was the linchpin. Lose it, and the entire left flank could collapse. Other officers urged retreat or at least medical aid. Cushing answered only with orders to keep firing.

Private Jackson, a member of his unit, later said,

“He never quit. Even when his legs were gone, he was still there, still aiming, still fighting… That’s the kind of man he was.”

According to Army reports, Cushing was killed in action during this brutal defense. His steadfast courage delayed Confederate momentum and bought crucial time for Union counterattacks. His sacrifice became a symbol, a clarion call etched into the embers of that bloody field.

Recognition Beyond the Battlefield

Alonzo Cushing’s courage was noted in dispatches immediately after Gettysburg, but it took more than a century for Congress to act. In 2014, one hundred fifty-one years later, Cushing was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for "distinguished bravery" at Gettysburg, the first and only artillery officer to receive it for that battle. [1]

The citation highlighted his "extraordinary heroism," emphasizing that despite multiple wounds and pains, his efforts “saved the line.” The award acknowledged not only valor but the embodiment of warrior ethos: sacrifice, perseverance, and selfless leadership.

President Barack Obama presented the medal to Cushing’s descendants, saying,

“Lt. Cushing stood fast when the odds were at their worst. His legacy reminds us to stand firm in what is right.”

Legacy: Sacrifice Carved in Stone and Soul

Alonzo Cushing’s story is one of sacrifice that transcends time—a soldier holding his ground despite the inevitability of death. The artillery officer’s blood-soaked resolve reminds every generation of veterans and civilians the cost of liberty.

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13) rings true in Cushing’s final act. He chose the line of fire over retreat, the defense of comrades over his own life. His scars, though invisible, speak louder than any monument.

Cushing’s courage teaches that valor is not in a single shot but in refusing to surrender hope. In every battle and every struggle, his legacy is proof that faith welded with grit fortifies the human spirit even in its darkest hours.

SOURCES

[1] National Park Service + “Medal of Honor Recipients - Civil War (A-L)” [2] United States Military Academy Archives + “Alonzo Cushing Papers” [3] Congressional Medal of Honor Society + Citation for Alonzo Cushing [4] Obama White House Archives + Remarks on Medal of Honor Presentation, 2014