Jan 20 , 2026

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

Bloodied hands clutch cannon reigns—smoke chokes the dawn. The roar of battle swells, yet Alonzo Cushing will not yield. Wounded, staggering, he demands fire. One last salvo, crushing the Confederate tide. Death himself steps closer. But the guns must keep speaking.

---

The Son of Wisconsin, Raised in Purpose

Alonzo Hervey Cushing was no stranger to sacrifice. Born in 1841 in Delafield, Wisconsin, into a family steeped in honor and discipline. West Point molded him—he graduated near the top in 1861. His faith, quiet but steady, was the unseen armor beneath the uniform. Baptized in courage and conviction, Cushing carried more than a musket; he carried a solemn vow to stand when others wavered.

Faith and duty entwined. His letters home reveal a young man wrestling with the cost of war but grounded in a deeper purpose. No glory-seeker—just a soldier bound by conscience and the code of service.

---

Gettysburg: July 3, 1863

Holding the Guns Against Fate

The Battle of Gettysburg was the crucible. Cushing’s 4th U.S. Artillery stood guard on Cemetery Ridge, a linchpin in the Union line. Pickett’s Charge bore down like a tidal wave.

Under savage cannonade and musket fire, Alonzo refused to quit. His battery was the shield against the onrushing soldiers. Reports say he was shot three times, including a mortal wound to the abdomen. No retreat. No faltering.

Witness accounts describe him leaning over his cannon, giving orders through the haze of pain. “Fire!” he barked again and again, rallying his men until he collapsed.

His actions held the Confederate assault at bay, arguably turning the tide of the battle—and maybe the war.

---

Medal of Honor: A Long-Delayed Tribute

Recognition was slow, buried in the bureaucracy of war’s aftermath. Cushing died that day, July 3, 1863, age 22. His grave lay unmarked in the Soldiers’ National Cemetery for decades.

In 2014, 151 years later, President Obama posthumously awarded him the Medal of Honor. The citation commends his “gallantry, intrepidity, and determination” as he “remained at his guns despite mortal wounds and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy.”[^1]

Brigadier General Alexander S. Webb, another hero of Gettysburg, wrote:

“Lieutenant Cushing displayed the greatest courage and coolness during the most trying time... He died while performing his duty.”

---

Legacy Etched in Steel and Spirit

Alonzo Cushing’s sacrifice endures beyond medals and monuments. He embodies the hard truth of war: valor is often silent and unseen. His story teaches that courage is tethered not to youth or strength, but to unwavering resolve.

From his bloodied stand, we learn that honor costs. His legacy is a call to hold the line—for country, for comrades, for higher calling.

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

Cushing’s final moments are not a note of despair but a hymn to duty fulfilled. The artillery still thunders, echoing across generations, reminding every soldier that in the darkest hour, standing firm is holy work.

---

Sources

[^1]: United States Army Center of Military History, “Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War (A–L).” David G. Martin, Gettysburg: The Story of the Battle, National Park Service Archives.

---

Older Post Newer Post

---