Alonzo Cushing

Cushing was born in what is now the city of Delafield, Wisconsin, and raised in Fredonia, New York. His younger brother was future Union Navy officer Cdr. William B. Cushing. They were the youngest of four brothers who eventually served in the Union forces. Their brother Howard was killed during the Indian Wars campaign in 1871. ==Civil War service==

Cushing graduated from the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, as part of the class of June 1861. He was commissioned as second and first lieutenant on the same day and was brevetted major following the Battle of Chancellorsville. Battle of Gettysburg Cushing commanded Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery in the Battle of Gettysburg, and was hailed by contemporaries as heroic in his actions on the third day of the battle. He was wounded three times. First, a shell fragment went straight through his shoulder. He was then grievously wounded by a second shell fragment, which tore into his abdomen and groin. This wound exposed his intestines, which he held in place with his hand as he continued to command his battery. After these injuries, a higher-ranking officer said, "Cushing, go to the rear." Cushing, due to the limited number of men left, refused to fall back. The severity of his wounds left him unable to yell his orders above the sounds of battle. Thus, he was held aloft by his 1st Sergeant Frederick Füger, who faithfully passed on Cushing's commands. Füger himself would be awarded the Medal of Honor for his conduct that day. ==Death==

Cushing was killed at Gettysburg when a bullet entered his mouth and exited through the back of his skull. He died on the field at the height of the Battle of Gettysburg. He was 22 years old. His body was returned to his family and then interred in West Point Cemetery in Section 26, Row A, Grave 7. At the behest of his mother, Mary, his headstone bears the inscription "Faithful unto Death." His grave is next to that of Major General John Buford, another hero of Gettysburg, who had chosen the battlefield that Cushing had died defending. ==Medal of Honor==

Cushing was nominated for a belated award of the Medal of Honor, beginning with a letter campaign in the late 1980s by a constituent of Senator William Proxmire of Wisconsin. Margaret Zerwekh began her campaign to honor Cushing in 1987 with a letter to Senator Proxmire. She lived on property once owned by Cushing's father in Delafield, Wisconsin and spent years researching his background. For years, she received form letters in return for her letters advocating for Cushing until the early 2000s. The measure was also advocated by Congressman Ron Kind of Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district. However, the provision granting Cushing the Medal of Honor was removed from a defense spending bill by Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) in December 2012. In December 2013, the Senate passed a defense bill that included a provision granting Cushing the Medal of Honor. The nomination was sent to the Defense Department for review, before being approved by President Barack Obama. Cushing was awarded the Medal of Honor by Department of the Army General Order (DAGO) 2014-76 dated December 19, 2014. Medal of Honor Citation ==Legacy==

Cushing was posthumously cited for gallantry with a brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel. Alonzo H. Cushing Camp #5 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War serves the Ozaukee County region of Wisconsin. Cushing Elementary School in Delafield (part of the Kettle Moraine School District) is also named after the brothers. A stone monument in honor of Cushing marks the spot where he was killed during the Battle of Gettysburg. The marker is located on Cemetery Ridge, along Hancock Avenue, at The Angle. In 2015, the Commandery-in-Chief of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS) posthumously elected Lieutenant Cushing as a companion of the Order. NFL Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing is a distant relative of Alonzo Cushing and his brothers. Cushing is mentioned by name, and his death depicted, in the film Gettysburg. Stephen Vincent Benét's poem "John Brown's Body" contains a stanza commemorating Cushing's death at Gettysburg: "Cushing ran down the last of his guns to the battle-line. The rest had been smashed to scrap by Lee's artillery fire. He held his guts in his hand as the charge came up to the wall, And his gun spoke out for him once before he fell to the ground." ==See also==