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

Sep 27 , 2025

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

He knelt over a shattered cannon, blood dripping from shattered ribs, powder smoke thick in the air. The enemy surged like a dark tide—unyielding, ruthless. But Alonzo Cushing did not falter. He ordered the guns to fire until his last breath, refusing to abandon his post even as death claimed him. A young artillery officer at Gettysburg, his sacrifice was a defiant stand against annihilation.

The Bloodied Line of Duty

Alonzo H. Cushing was born in 1841, raised in a family steeped in service and faith. West Point hardened him with discipline and devotion—both to country and to something greater. His life was a testament to a soldier’s code: purpose greater than self, honor before survival. He believed in fighting for a cause worth dying for. Scripture was never far:

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” — 1 Corinthians 16:13

This wasn’t poetic flair—it was armor.

The Furnace of Gettysburg

July 3, 1863. The deadliest day of America’s bloodiest battle.

Cushing, barely 22, was captain of Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery, positioned on Cemetery Ridge. His guns were a keystone in the Union defense during Pickett’s Charge—a desperate Confederate assault aimed to shatter the Union center. The air was torn by cannon fire, rifles roared, and bodies fell like thunderclaps.

Despite multiple wounds, Cushing stayed upright. The pressure of command weighed against a tide of pain and panic. Eyewitnesss accounts describe him rallying his men, refusing to pull back, directing artillery fire point-blank into the waves of charging rebels. Horse shot from under him. His left arm shattered, yet he kept fighting—refusing aid, screaming orders through gritted teeth:

“Give them canister!”

His courage bled into every man around him, stalling Pickett’s men just long enough to turn the tide. When the battle ended, Cushing lay dying on the field. His last vision was of a battered but unbroken Union line.

Valor Etched in Bronze

For over 150 years, Cushing’s heroism was known but unadorned by the nation. It wasn’t until 2014 that his legacy was formally sealed with the Medal of Honor—the highest recognition for valor in combat. The citation highlights:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as commander of Battery A... Despite being wounded, Cushing gallantly maintained his artillery fire against Pickett’s Charge.”

President Barack Obama bestowed the medal, reflecting a centuries-long wait for justice. A fellow soldier, General Abner Doubleday, called Cushing:

“a brave and energetic officer, who gave his life for his country.”

The Medal didn’t just honor a man—it gripped the soul of countless unnamed warriors who hold the line at terrible cost.

The Burnished Legacy of Sacrifice

Alonzo Cushing’s story is not just Civil War history—it is the raw image of what combat demands. Sacrifice without hesitation. Command under fire. Holding fast when everything screams to run.

His wounds became his witness. His stand became a beacon. For every soldier who has faced death while carrying the torch forward, Cushing’s blood speaks in their stead.

In the haze of battle and silence after, his faith carried him. More than a soldier, he was a vessel of redemption—proof that courage writes stories beyond medals and battlefields.

What does it mean to stand when the world tries to break you? Cushing answers with every gunshot silenced at Gettysburg: There is honor in holding to the last moment. There is purpose in the sacrifice.

And so, his legacy breathes still—iron-willed, faith-steeled—a reminder that the darkest moments forge enduring light.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” — Psalm 116:15

Alonzo Cushing died a warrior, but lived eternal in the memory of valor.

Sources

1. The United States Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War (A-L) 2. Smithsonian Institution, The Battle of Gettysburg: Turning Point of the Civil War 3. Obama White House Archives, 2014 Medal of Honor Ceremony 4. Doubleday, Abner, Personal Letters and Reports, 1863