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

Sep 25 , 2025

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

The sky tore open with cannon fire. Smoke choked the July air at Gettysburg, 1863. Amid the chaos, a young artillery captain stood firm on Cemetery Ridge, bleeding through a wound that should have silenced him. But Alonzo Cushing’s gun kept firing. No. Not today. Not while the line held.

Born to Honor, Raised by Faith

Alonzo Herndon Cushing was no stranger to discipline or devotion. Born in 1841 into a military family in Wisconsin, he carried the weight of legacy with a quiet fire. West Point shaped him, graduating fourth in the class of 1861. The Civil War was tearing the nation apart, but for Cushing, it was battleground and baptism both.

Faith ran deep in his veins. Raised in an environment where duty and God’s providence intertwined, he believed his rifle and prayer were twin weapons against the darkness. “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace,” his letters hinted at, grounding him through battles that would test more than his courage.

Hell Let Loose: The Battle of Gettysburg

July 3, 1863. The bloodied fields of Gettysburg bore witness to Pickett’s Charge—a desperate Confederate gamble to break Union lines. Cushing commanded Battery A of the 4th U.S. Artillery, positioned on the critical high ground of Cemetery Ridge.

His orders were clear: hold at all costs.

Outnumbered, overwhelmed, the artillery crew faced waves of Confederate infantry. Early during the charge, Cushing was struck repeatedly—an arm shattered, a leg mangled, and multiple bullet wounds riddled his body. But he did not retreat or surrender command.

Despite grievous injuries, he refused to abandon his gun.

Witnesses recall Cushing crawling across the blood-soaked earth, rallying men, aiming the cannons, and firing into the charging tide. Some say his yell cut through the cannons’ roar, a howl of unyielding resolve.

One of his staff later wrote that Cushing was still shouting orders as he lay dying, a bullet finally ending his defiance. His last breaths fed the guns that helped turn back the charge.

Valor Etched in Bronze and Memory

Alonzo Cushing fell that day, age 22, a mortal wound marking the end of his sacrifice.

But that was not the last the world heard of him.

His gallantry was noted promptly by comrades and commanders. Over a century later, after persistent campaigns by historians and veterans' descendants, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Cushing the Medal of Honor in 2014 — a testament to a courage that transcended immediate recognition.

The citation stated plainly:

“Inspired by a profound sense of duty, Captain Cushing maintained his battery's fire against overwhelming enemy forces despite mortal wounds... His devotion saved positions crucial to the Union’s victory.”

General Winfield Scott Hancock, who witnessed the fight, recalled Cushing’s refusal to yield as emblematic of the Union’s grit.

A Legacy Carved in Sacrifice and Faith

Alonzo Cushing’s story is not just a Civil War footnote. It’s a raw declaration of what fighting for cause and country demands—the price exacted in sweat, blood, and flesh.

His endurance past pain mirrors what veterans before and after him know: courage is not the absence of fear or injury. It’s the refusal to let darkness claim victory.

His sacrifice rings with the echo of scripture:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread… for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

In the shattered lands of Gettysburg, above the ragged ridge he held, the ground remembers him. So do those who understand the weight of holding the line—not just against enemies, but against despair.

Cushing died defending an idea greater than himself. His legacy demands we carry forward the raw truth of combat—not glorify it, but honor the man behind the gun.

Some fight for fame. Alonzo fought for all who stood behind him—his flag, his men, his God.

His scars are not just wounds. They are the map of sacrifice drawn on history’s battlefield. And they challenge every veteran who hears his name: To face the hardest fight. To stand when giving up is an option. To live with purpose in the bloodied aftermath.

His story doesn’t end with a medal. It begins with the eternal charge of those willing to pay the ultimate price.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War 2. Bell Irvin Wiley, The Life of Johnny Reb (Oxford University Press) 3. "Medal of Honor Awarded to Cushing" — National Park Service Gettysburg Archives 4. President Barack Obama, Medal of Honor Presentation Remarks, 2014 5. Letters and reports from General Winfield Scott Hancock, compiled in Gettysburg Command by Stephen Sears