'Faithful Unto Death': Gettysburg hero Alonzo Cushing's Medal of Honor will be displayed at park visitor center for this week's 163rd anniversary

1st Lt. Alonzo Cushing (center, back) and other artillery officers at Antietam in 1862 (Library of Congress)

The Medal of Honor awarded to artillery 1^st Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing will be displayed at Gettysburg National Military Park on the anniversary of his death during Pickett’s Charge.

The medal and display box will be on exhibit July 1-5 at the park’s museum and visitor center.

“This rare display coincides with the anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, offers visitors a unique opportunity to reflect on Cushing's sacrifice where it occurred and provides them with the opportunity to view the nation’s highest military decoration awarded to one of Gettysburg’s most recognized Union officers,” the Gettysburg Foundation said.

Cushing's Medal of Honor has been displayed at various sites (Gettysburg Foundation)

The Delafield, Wisc., native was raised in Fredonia, N.Y. Cushing, one of three brothers who had distinguished military service, was only 22 when he fell leading his battery.

At Gettysburg, Cushing and his battery of six 3-inch ordnance rifles took position with Brig. Gen. Alexander S. Webb's brigade on July 2, 1863. They were engaged throughout the day and again on July 3 as Confederate forces opened a two-hour artillery bombardment that preceded the assault known as Pickett's Charge, the foundation said.

Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery was at a spot dubbed "The Angle."

Cushing suffered two grievous wounds and directed the operation of a field piece during the massive Rebel advance. He refused to leave the field. A bullet to the head killed him instantly.

In 2014, the young officer received the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama for demonstrating conspicuous gallantry, inflicting severe casualties on the enemy and helping to turn back the charge. A descendant living in California accepted it on Cushing's behalf.

"This medal is a reminder that no matter how long it takes it's never too late to do the right thing," Obama said during the brief ceremony at the White House Roosevelt Room.

It was rare for a Federal officer during the war to receive a Medal of Honor and historians acknowledge efforts to recognize Cushing at the time probably were sidetracked because others survived the momentous July 1863 battle in Pennsylvania and wrote about their service.

It was largely up to the descendants of Cushing, who like his three brothers had no children or direct descendants, to keep alive his legacy, saving his letters, traveling to Gettysburg and sharing stories around the Thanksgiving table.

Among those joining the Cushing and Loring families in Washington, D.C. for the White House and U.S. Army ceremonies was Margaret E. Zerwekh, then 94, of Delafield.

Zerwekh, who died in 2018, lived on property once owned by the Cushing family. She performed research on him and petitioned a congressman years ago to support the honor. Efforts involved additional politicians and military experts who studied records of the young artilleryman's stand at Gettysburg.

Cushing's citation reflects the same devotion expressed in the words inscribed on his headstone (left, click to enlarge) at West Point: "Faithful unto Death." 

Cushing's medal is now part of the collection at Gettysburg National Military Park.

Alonzo Cushing's Medal of Honor on display

The Medal of Honor awarded to Wisconsin native Alonzo Cushing for heroism at Gettysburg is on temporary loan to Delafield, where he lived several years. Though he died in 1863, Cushing didn't receive the nation's highest honor for valor until last November during a ceremony at the White House with members of his extended family present. • Article

A descendant to acquire Medal of Honor?

The search for a relative to receive the Medal of Honor that Alonzo Cushing was awarded 150 years after his heroism at Gettysburg may have ended with some connections made in Fredonia, N.Y., on Saturday. Dr. Brian Cushing of Williamsville stood up and said he can trace his family history to the Cushing brothers, Alonzo and William. • Article

Medal of Honor, finally, for Gettysburg hero

More than 151 years after his heroic service at Gettysburg, 1st Lt. Alonzo Cushing, a Union battery commander, will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously, the White House announced. "He does deserve it without a doubt," said John Heiser, historian at Gettysburg National Military Park. "The tragedy is ... that it should have been awarded long, long ago." • Article

Cushing Medal of Honor effort wins battle

The push to have a Wisconsin soldier who made a valiant last stand at Gettysburg receive the nation’s highest military decoration got impetus Friday when the Senate passed a bill that includes an exemption on the timing of a recommendation. Even if the president signs the bill, a few steps remain before Lt. Alonzo Cushing would get the Medal of Honor. The Defense Department would have to make an official recommendation, and President Barack Obama would have to approve it. • Article

Woman, 90, pushed medal for Cushing

Margaret Zerwekh and Lt. Alonzo Cushing are separated by more than a century but united by a tie to the woods here along the Bark River, 35 miles west of Milwaukee. Drawn by that bond, Zerwekh, a 90-year-old with a barbed wit, spent 23 years fighting to get Cushing honored for his brave service in the Union Army at the Battle of Gettysburg. Cushing later this year posthumously receives the Medal of Honor. • Article

Facebook helps soldier get Medal of Honor

Seven score and seven years ago, a Wisconsin soldier stood his ground on the Gettysburg battlefield and made a valiant stand before he was felled by a Confederate bullet. Now, thanks to the dogged efforts of modern-day supporters, 1st Lt. Alonzo Cushing shall not have died in vain, nor shall his memory have perished from the earth. • Article