Oct 29 , 2025

Alonzo Cushing's Sacrifice on Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg

The ground shook beneath relentless cannonade. Smoke choked the air, blood slicked the earth. Amid shattered limbs and falling comrades, a young artillery officer knelt, gripping the wheel of a wounded cannon—refusing to abandon his post.

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The Battle That Defined Him

Alonzo Cushing was not a man to retreat. On July 3, 1863, at the heart of Gettysburg’s fiercest clash—Pickett’s Charge—he stood as a bulwark on Cemetery Ridge. Despite two mortal wounds, he ordered his guns to roar against the surging Confederate tide.

His orders were not lightly given. The artillery under his command was the thin line between collapse and victory. Wounded through the abdomen and groin, still he pressed forward. When his men faltered or fell, Cushing took their places. The thunder of cannon, the scream of incoming fire, the screams of dying friends—none could drive him away.

He died holding the position, turning the tide by sheer will.

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Background & Faith: A Soldier’s Rooted Resolve

Born into a military family in 1841—son of a West Point professor—Cushing's life was shaped by discipline and duty. West Point forged him not just in tactics but in an iron code of honor. From early days, he carried a solemn creed: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

His faith was not a quiet thing. It cemented a resolve to stand where others fled. To Cushing, battlefield sacrifice was a baptism in blood, a testament to something greater than self. His letters reflect this hard-earned spirituality—a belief that valor is holy work, that war carves out the soul’s deepest truths.

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Defying Death at Gettysburg

July 3, 1863, dawned with grim portent. Confederate Virginia armies swelled, aiming to break the Union center. Cushing’s artillery sat atop Cemetery Ridge, the target and salvation of the Union line.

At first, a cannonball took his leg off. He bled, staggering but unyielding. Seconds later, a second wound tore through his abdomen, yet he refused stretcher aid.

His brigade commander later wrote:

“Lieutenant Cushing, though mortally wounded, remained with his guns, giving orders, encouraging his men, and firing until he fell.”1

Even when surrounded and outnumbered, he ordered a counter-barrage. Every round fired from his battery slowed the Confederate advance. His will forged a bulwark no enemy could penetrate.

Only when the fight was decisively won did Cushing’s courage finally fail him. Blood loss claimed his life on that scarred ridge.

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Recognition: A Hero’s Honor Deferred

Alonzo Cushing’s sacrifice was recognized with the Medal of Honor—awarded posthumously in 2014, one of the longest-delayed honors in American history. For over 150 years, his gallantry slept in archives, overshadowed by time’s dust.

His Medal of Honor citation reads:

"For extraordinary heroism on 3 July 1863, while serving with 4th U.S. Artillery, in action at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Lieutenant Cushing, although mortally wounded and painfully disabled as the result of enemy artillery fire continued to direct fire of his battery against the assaulting Confederates."2

Generations later, his name surfaces as a symbol of relentless duty, a reminder that courage often demands the ultimate price. General Alexander Webb, who witnessed Cushing’s death, called him:

“the bravest man in the Army of the Potomac.”3

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Legacy & Lessons from the Ridge

Cushing’s story is blood writ large—a testament to what it means to stand when the world demands retreat. His sacrifice is more than history; it’s a living call to arms for all who bear burdens—in war or peace.

His scars speak to every warrior who has faced impossible odds and chosen honor over surrender. To fell under fire is brutal. To fight dying is divine.

His faith and grit remind us that courage is not absence of fear, but steadfastness in its shadow. His life and death whisper a battle hymn that echoes still: “Be strong and of good courage” (Joshua 1:9).

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Alonzo Cushing gave everything—blood, body, soul—to a cause greater than himself. His final command was a prayer fashioned in powder smoke and iron, a legacy refusing to waver.

And in that unyielding stand, he carved a path from sacrifice to redemption—a beacon for every soul who knows the cost of loyalty.

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Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Citation: Alonzo Cushing 2. National Park Service, Gettysburg Medal of Honor Awards Overview 3. Sears, Stephen W., Gettysburg (2003)

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