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

Apr 08 , 2026

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

Alonzo Cushing gripped the cold cannon ramrod as the bullets tore the sky. Blood slicked his fingers, but he ordered the next round fired anyway. Around him, Union lines faltered; artillery crews fell silent, broken. But not Cushing. Mortally wounded, he kept the guns belching fire at Cemetery Ridge, defying death itself. This was no reckless bravery. It was a furious resolve born from deep sacrifice.

The Battle That Defined Him

July 3, 1863—one of the darkest, bloodiest days on American soil. At the Battle of Gettysburg, Captain Alonzo H. Cushing commanded Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery. His guns sat atop Cemetery Ridge, the last bulwark against Pickett’s Charge—confederate infantry aiming to break the Union line.

The calm before the storm shattered under brazen cannon fire and rifle volleys. Shells exploded around Cushing’s position, knocking down men like wheat in a storm. Yet, despite severe wounds—a bullet through his thigh and an arm shattered by shrapnel—Cushing refused to yield.

He literally held the line as Confederate forces surged. His orders were crisp, steady: “Load, aim, fire.” Each salvo slowed the enemy’s march. His commanding officers later reported, “His resistance was the linchpin of our defense.” When finally struck down a third and fatal time, his battery was still firing. Death came, but so did freedom that day.

Roots Forged in Faith and Duty

Born in August 1841 in Wisconsin, Alonzo Cushing came from a family steeped in service and honor. West Point shaped the young artilleryman’s iron will, but faith anchored his soul. His devout Presbyterian upbringing never left him.

Letters home reveal a man who saw his duty as sacred. “I only want to do my part in this great work,” he wrote before the engagement. His courage wasn’t born of bravado but conviction—“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Cushing’s faith fueled him in the fiercest crucible.

Steadfast in the Heart of Hell

The artillery duel started early that morning, but by afternoon, Cushing’s position became hell itself. Confederate shells smashed through his guns and shattered the caissons. Blood pooled beneath the wheels, mingling with crushed earth and spent powder.

Despite mounting casualties in his unit, Cushing’s voice “rose clear and firm throughout the roar and crash of the battle,” testified Capt. John Bigelow, a fellow officer.[¹] Even as wounds overwhelmed him, Cushing refused aid that would slow him down.

He personally stepped into the frontlines, rallying men and directing deadly artillery fire. His command was the pivot on which the entire Union defense spun. He fell fatally wounded but only after ensuring his guns remained in place.

A Medal Long Overdue

Cushing died on the field, his valor noted but overshadowed by the chaos that swallowed Gettysburg’s aftermath. It was more than 150 years before the full weight of his sacrifice earned official recognition.

In 2014, President Barack Obama awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously to Captain Alonzo Cushing—the first such honor from Gettysburg—and cited his “extraordinary heroism” under fire.[²]

General Daniel Sickles, badly wounded nearby, called Cushing’s courage “without equal” and credited him for stemming the Confederate tide.[³] The award citation echoed: “Cushing continued firing his battery until he fell, mortally wounded, steadfast in the face of almost certain death.”

This warrior’s bloodied sacrifice scratched eternity’s ledger.

The Enduring Lesson of Alonzo Cushing

In the endless churn of war, some names fade. But those who stand when all else flees—who honor faith and country with their last breath—shine like beacons.

Cushing’s story is not just about a gunner in blue. It is about holding ground when the world demands surrender. About sacrifice beyond measure. About a legacy that whispers to every soldier, every citizen: Hold fast.

His scars—both literal and spiritual—remind us redemption comes at a price.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called Sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).

Captain Cushing made peace on his own terms—through fire, blood, and unyielding courage. His battle is ours to remember, his soul laid bare for a nation’s salvation.

Sources

[1] Bigelow, John. War Reminiscences - Battle of Gettysburg. [2] U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Citation for Alonzo Cushing. [3] Sickles, Daniel. Personal Accounts of Gettysburg Combat.