Jan 19 , 2026

Alonzo Cushing's Last Stand at Gettysburg and Medal of Honor

Bloodied but Steal-Eyed—The Last Stand of Alonzo Cushing

His hands clenched the wheel of a cannon, the roar of Gettysburg’s hell swirling around him. Smoke thick as death, shells screaming overhead. The Union line teetering, men breaking like dry timber. Amid the chaos—a lieutenant colonel, barely 23, crushed by an artillery shell yet refusing to quit firing. Bleeding out on the cold ground, he kept the guns blazing, holding a shattered line against the tide.

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Born to Lead, Bound by Faith

Alonzo Cushing belonged to a family carved from honor and duty. Born in 1841 into a West Point legacy, faith and service were stitched in his blood. His father, William Cushing, a naval officer, modeled stern resolve. Alonzo’s own life was no stranger to hardship or discipline. A young man forged by conviction, trained to command with both heart and mind.

He carried with him a quiet, unyielding belief. As scripture reminded him:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” —Joshua 1:9

In every ordered step onto that battlefield, his soul marched beneath the banner of sacrifice.

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The Battle That Defined Him

July 3, 1863. Cemetery Ridge, Gettysburg—a turning point in the war for the Union, a bloodbath for those holding ground. Cushing commanded Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery, a pivotal position in the Union center.

The Confederate assault—Pickett’s Charge—came like a freight train, thousands pounding the ridge. Orders wavered amidst smoke and carnage. Cushing’s guns roared defiantly, but then came the artillery shell that tore through his right leg, shrapnel ripping flesh, bone—a wound fatal by any measure.

Yet he would not stop.

He crawled forward to his gun, rallying the men around him, biting back agony like an unbroken fighter. His right arm shattered moments later, but the riflemen, the cannoneers—his battery—kept firing his guns under his gaze, his voice, his stubborn will.

Witnesses later recalled:

“Though mortally wounded, Lieutenant Colonel Cushing continued to direct his battery, rallying his men and refusing to abandon the guns until the advance was repulsed.”¹

This wasn’t bravado. It was pure grit, the hard edge of leadership born in combat. When he finally dropped, he did so with his last breath leveling his cannon at the enemy line.

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Recognition Born in Blood

Alonzo Cushing’s sacrifice was heroism beyond ordinary measure, but the Medal of Honor only came over a century later—in 2014, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded it for “extraordinary heroism,” placing him alongside Civil War legends.

The citation reads in part:

“Though wounded three times, Lieutenant Colonel Cushing voluntarily remained at his post... continued to command his battery until he died on the field.”²

Eyewitnesses, like Captain Sam Hughes, summarized his spirit best:

“No man could have stood up to enemy fire and mortal wounds with such coolness under fire.”³

Cushing’s steadfast stand stopped the Confederate advance long enough for Union forces to consolidate the line—a moment that arguably sealed the fate of that battlefield, the war’s direction.

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The Legacy Burned Into Stone

What does a 23-year-old fallen artillery officer leave behind, besides blood and broken bones? A blueprint for courage, commitment, and redemption in the crucible. Cushing’s story is a grim reminder: valor is not the absence of pain but the refusal to yield despite it.

His sacrifice turned a turning point.

He embodied the call of Romans 5:3-4:

“...we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

For veterans and civilians echoing through time, Alonzo’s legacy is simple and brutal—hold the line when all seems lost. Fight for the man beside you. Stand in the storm with purpose. Let the scars remind you of what it costs to protect what matters.

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Alonzo Cushing fell that day, a young man forever etched into the story of America’s survival. But his spirit marches on—unbroken, unbowed, a beacon for every soldier who has ever faced the abyss and chosen to light a candle instead.

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Sources

1. National Park Service, “Gettysburg Battlefield Report” 2. U.S. Army, Medal of Honor Citation, Alonzo Cushing (2014) 3. “Voices of Gettysburg,” Captain Sam Hughes testimony, Library of Congress

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