Jan 22 , 2026
Alonzo Cushing's Stand at Gettysburg's Cemetery Ridge
The cannon roared through the dense smoke, shredding the summer air of July 3rd, 1863.
Alonzo Cushing stayed at his post, bleeding out on Cemetery Ridge, eyes fixed on the creeping waves of Confederate soldiers. The Union artillery must not falter. Not now.
He grasped his wheel, fired his piece one last time—then collapsed, a mortal wound soaking his uniform in crimson. This hill would not fall. Not under his watch.
Blood and Soil: The Making of Alonzo Cushing
Born in Delafield, Wisconsin, in 1841, Alonzo was deeply shaped by family honor and a faith that anchored him even in hell. West Point class of 1861, called swiftly into service as the nation tore itself apart.
The son of a lineage with military tradition, he embodied duty as sacred. Church hymns whispered in childhood gave way to the sharp crack of muskets. A man shaped by scripture and steel, who once wrote, “My trust is in the Lord, the battle is His.”
The brutal baptism of war hardened him. But beneath the soldier’s grit was a quiet reverence. Alonzo’s artillery battery was his charge, his congregation.
The Battle That Defined a Life
Cemetery Ridge was a furnace of chaos during the third day of Gettysburg. July 3, 1863.
By midday, Confederate forces under General Pickett surged forward in what would become known as Pickett’s Charge. Their goal: to break the Union center and shatter the Northern resolve. But Alonzo’s battery sat squarely in their path.
Despite Confederate infantry closing the distance, devastating Union flanks, and a cannonball smashing his left arm—the 23-year-old refused to quit.
He bled, but he kept the guns firing.
Witness Lieutenant Benjamin Harrison (future U.S. President) later recounted: “Lieutenant Cushing was shot, but held his post. When I reached him, he was once more at the battery, encouraging the men, working the guns.”
Cushing’s determination delayed the Confederate advance so fiercely that it bought time for reinforcements—turning the tide of one of the Civil War’s bloodiest encounters.
He died at his post, carried away only after the battle’s fury had subsided. The Army lost a warrior but gained a legend.
Valor Recognized: Medal of Honor and Beyond
It took over a century for the highest honor to catch up with Cushing. In 2014, President Barack Obama awarded Alonzo Cushing the Medal of Honor—nearly 151 years after that fateful July day.
The citation praised:
"Lieutenant Cushing distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Despite being wounded multiple times, he remained at the battery and fought his gun against a vastly superior enemy."
Commanders of his time described Cushing as a man of “unwavering courage” and “a soul on fire for his country.” His actions were pivotal in breaking Pickett’s Charge, a turning point in the Civil War.
This belated recognition was not just about medals—it was about honoring sacrifice soaked in mud and blood.
The Legacy of Cushing’s Charge
Alonzo Cushing’s story is not just Civil War history. It is a raw testament to the cost of courage and the burden of leadership under fire.
Sacrifice is never convenient. It often arrives at the worst times, demanding everything a man has—and then takes more.
Cushing’s legacy speaks in the steady rhythm of artillery fire and the silent prayers of fallen warriors. His life was a verse from Romans 5:3-4:
“We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
For veterans—and the families who bear their scars—Cushing’s charge is a reminder that courage borne in the storm does not fade. It echoes through generations, calling us to hold the line, bear one another’s burdens, and find redemption through sacrifice.
He died young, bleeding on a hill in Pennsylvania. But from his blood rose a shield—an unyielding defense of a nation torn, and a testament that valor endures beyond death.
Alonzo Cushing did not just hold a cannon—he held the heart of a nation.
And in that charge lies the grit, faith, and fire of every soldier who ever faced impossible odds and chose to stand firm nonetheless.
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