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

Sep 30 , 2025

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

Alonzo Cushing’s hands bled. The smoke choked the morning. Bullets tore through the air like curses from hell itself. But his cannon roared without faltering. Mortally wounded, he stayed where most would have fallen. He held the line. No quarter given. No retreat taken. Just fire.

The Boy From Milwaukee, Forged by Faith and Duty

Born in 1841 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Alonzo was the youngest son in a family that breathed duty and discipline. The Cushing household was quiet but steely—steeped in a solemn trust in Providence. Their father, a West Point graduate, drilled into Alonzo the twin pillars of service and sacrifice. Faith was never a whisper — it was the voice in the storm.

Alonzo entered West Point in 1857. His record was unremarkable in debate but sharp in duty. He graduated in 1861, mere months after the first shots fired at Fort Sumter. The nation fractured, his oath was clear: to defend the Union, no matter the cost. His Christian upbringing shaped his resolve. This was a fight not just for country, but for justice, order, and the preservation of a moral cause.

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” — John 14:1

The Battle of Gettysburg: July 3, 1863

The artillery line on Cemetery Ridge was a crucible. Cushing, now a captain in the Union artillery, commanded Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery. The Confederate assault—Pickett's Charge—came like a tidal wave.

By midday, as the Confederate infantry stormed across the open fields, the battery was in chaos. Many men were cut down by sharpshooters and shells. Cushing sustained at least three severe wounds: one to his chest, another shattered his leg, and a final wound left him immobile. Yet he refused to relinquish command.

He ordered his men, shouted over the roar of cannon and musket fire, “Keep firing!”

Cushing himself was dragging along, directing artillery fire with grim relentlessness. Witnesses described how he urged his gunners to maintain their deadly barrage, despite torrents of blood and staggering pain.

His last words reportedly were encouragements to the men holding the line. He died on the field, the embodiment of valor etched in flesh and bone. His sacrifice helped blunt the Confederate charge, a moment that swung the tide at Gettysburg.

Recognition and Posthumous Honor

For decades, Cushing’s heroism lingered in the shadows of Gettysburg’s vast story. Yet, his actions did not go unnoticed by comrades and commanders. General Winfield Scott Hancock, who fought alongside him, called Cushing “a gallant officer and a courageous man.”

The Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously over 140 years later, in 2014—a long overdue recognition of a sacrifice that echoed through generations.

Citation excerpt: “Captain Cushing’s exceptional courage, skill, and determination in the face of mortal wounds directly contributed to the repulse of Pickett's Charge.”

The honor was accepted by his descendants in a ceremony that pulled history’s wounds and valor into the light. Every citation of his name honors more than a man—it honors every soldier who refuses to fall while the battle still rages.

A Legacy Written in Sacrifice

Alonzo Cushing’s story is not a tale of glory, but grit. It is about the grit that grapples with pain, the soul that wrestles with despair. His final stand reminds veterans and civilians alike: True courage is showing up in your darkest hour and standing your ground.

Pain is the price of purpose. His scars—both visible and hidden—tell a story of faith forged in fire and blood. His actions at Gettysburg are a testament to sacrifice that transcends time and waste.

When a man clings to life just to save others, he leaves behind more than memories. He leaves a legacy of redemption, a line in the sand drawn with the ink of courage.

“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.” — 2 Timothy 4:6

Alonzo Cushing’s fire still burns. Not just in history’s pages—but in every soul who knows what it means to stand when falling is easier. That is the haunt of every veteran: to carry the weight, to serve beyond the call, to endure.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History + Medal of Honor Citation for Alonzo Cushing 2. Bellware, Daniel A. and Richard A. Watson, The Medal of Honor: A History of Service Above and Beyond (2009) 3. Coddington, Edwin B., The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command (1968) 4. National Park Service + Gettysburg Battlefield Unit Histories