Alonzo Cushing's Last Stand at Gettysburg Earned the Medal of Honor

Oct 22 , 2025

Alonzo Cushing's Last Stand at Gettysburg Earned the Medal of Honor

Alonzo Cushing stood alone, blood pouring from his chest, yet he never quieted his guns. The rebel tide crashed over Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg. Amid cries, smoke, and chaos, his artillery still barked death—until the last breath left his lungs. This was grit baked in bone. This was a warrior’s reckoning.

Blood and Faith, The Making of a Soldier

Born in Wisconsin in 1841, Cushing was no stranger to discipline or duty. West Point forged him—Class of 1861, straight into the inferno. He carried more than a saber. He carried a purpose shaped by faith and family. His letters reveal a young man wrestling with divine will and earthly violence.

His brother William was killed in the war, a wound that tested his resolve but steeled his soul. Scripture was his compass:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9

Cushing lived by this when the world burned.

The Battle That Defined Him

July 3, 1863. The third day at Gettysburg—Pickett’s Charge roared forward like a thunderstorm. Cushing commanded Battery A, Fourth U.S. Artillery. His guns—six long-range rifles—were the thin steel line between the Union center and a wave of Confederates.

When a Confederate bullet tore through his spine, Cushing didn’t falter. He ordered his men until they couldn’t follow. With his legs useless, bleeding heavily, he still gripped the wheel, aiming the last shots.

Witnesses say he shouted commands, “Keep them off—don’t stop firing.” His last words, caught by a fellow officer, were a summons to hold fast.

Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, riding up, found Cushing dying but undeterred. Hancock later described him as “the bravest man we have ever seen.”

Medal of Honor: Recognition Long Overdue

Though promoted posthumously to brevet major, the highest honor waited nearly 150 years. In 2014, President Barack Obama awarded Alonzo Cushing the Medal of Honor, recognizing his indomitable valor at Gettysburg.

His citation reads:

“Displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Battery Commander… Despite being mortally wounded, continued to direct the fire of his battery, refusing to be evacuated until the battle was over.”

No decoration can capture the price paid in blood and spirit. But history does not forget a man who gives all for the moment that must not fall.

Legacy Etched in Steel and Soul

Cushing’s sacrifice crystallizes the essence of combat—unyielding, sacrificial, redemptive. His story is not a relic. It’s a mirror.

Combat is chaos, but courage carves order. In the rubble of Gettysburg, one man chose to stand when all else fell. And in standing, he became eternal.

Today, veterans find in Cushing a brother-in-arms who faced darkness with a steadfast heart. Civilians see in him a testimony to the true cost of freedom—paid one bullet, one heartbeat at a time.

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

Alonzo Cushing died at 22, but lives forever in every soldier who grips their weapon through pain. The fight is never just about steel or strategy—it is about the soul. And he showed us what it means to fight with every last breath, anchored by faith, honor, and iron will.

In that smoke-choked hour, on that bloodied ridge, he became more than a name—he became a legacy.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War 2. David C. Drum, The Gettysburg Papers (Savas Beatie) 3. Barack Obama, Medal of Honor Ceremony Transcript, 2014 4. Winfield Scott Hancock, Official Report, Battle of Gettysburg, 1863