Gettysburg Hero Alonzo Cushing to receive Medal of Honor (1 Viewer)

[Nooooo9]

147 years after he died defending Cemetary Ridge, 1st LT Alonzo Cushing will receive the Medal of Honor. He was the Commander of Battery A, 4th US Artillery at the Battle of Gettysburg and his six guns were subjected to the the tremendous barrage of Confederate Artillery that precededed Pickett's Charge. Four of the guns were taken out of action, and in spite of being twice wounded, he refused to leave the field. One of the wounds was in the shoulder, the other in the abdomen, he continued to give his Battery Commands while leaning on his First Sergent for support and holding in his intestines with one hand. He finally fell after being shot through the mouth as the rebels advanced. His heroism was much noted at the time, but he did not receive the big medal. He is finally receiving recognition largely from the efforts of Margret Zerwekh, a 90 year old woman from his hometown of Delafield, Wisconsin. She brought this matter to the attention of her US Senator, who requested that the Army investigate. They made the announcement yesterday. Lieutenant Cushing is buried at West Point. He was 22 years old. Rest in Peace.

 

[Scott]

This was being debated over on a Civil War reenactor's forum. It's an admirable effort but some feel that he didn't do much more than others that day or even the rest of his battery.
I've read a couple of books on the Medal of Honor. A Shower of Stars talks about the 27th Maine that demanded that everyone get the Medal because they served some extra duty and what happened to the actual medals that the men didn't receive. (Some buried in cement in a flag pole foundation)

http://www.amazon.com/Shower-Stars-Medal-Honor-Maine/dp/0811700755

These posthumous Medals of Honor serve more as examples to the living of how to behave. Cushing is beyond caring. His two brothers were no slouches when it came to heroism either.

 

[Nooooo9]

In the Civil War period the US Army didn't have a graduated awards system like there is now. Today's soldier receives a medal for serving in wartime, a campaign medal if he is deployed overseas, and he is eligible for other awards for various acheivements and for heroism based on his actions. The Medal of Honor was the first devised and it was awarded in the 1860s in some situations that today would receive a less prestigous medal. In fact, some of the Civil War medals were later recinded. Dr. Mary Walker being a famous example. 1LT Cushing's was determined to be worthy of the Medal of Honor after a lengthy review of the historical record by the Department of the Army. You are certainly right in that there were others there on that field that day who were equally heroic, who never got any recognition. It was an extraordinary day in human history.

 

[Warrior]

in spite of being twice wounded, he refused to leave the field. One of the wounds was in the shoulder, the other in the abdomen, he continued to give his Battery Commands while leaning on his First Sergent for support and holding in his intestines with one hand. He finally fell after being shot through the mouth as the rebels advanced.

I'd call his actions on that day slightly more than "admirable"......holding in his intestines with one hand, leaning on his first sergeant for support and giving commands to his decimated battery is more than admirable in my book.

Given all the carnage that took place during that doomed assault, I am sure there are others who were just as brave.

That said, it is a well deserved honor.

If he was a Confederate, they'd be naming streets/parks/ballfields after him and have a gigantic statue in the middle of the town square where he was born and there would be 9,000 books written about how "admirable" he was......................

 

[Scott]

.................

If he was a Confederate, they'd be naming streets/parks/ballfields after him and have a gigantic statue in the middle of the town square where he was born and there would be 9,000 books written about how "admirable" he was......................

Funny ..............the "unreconstructed" folks would say the same thing about a Union hero.

 

[DCN1898]

Also when the medal was first instituted. You had to survive the action to receive the medal. It was given more often than not for capturing a flag. I dare say that there were easily thousands and thousands of brave men who met death deserving the recognition of being awarded the Medal of Honor. Unfortunately that wasn't the system at the time.

 

[marco55]

I'm sure there are tens of thousands who deserve the medal.All who gave their life deserve it in my book.
mark

 

[Scott]

I think that the idea is that medals go for doing something over and above what's "normally" expected. If you hand them out to everyone it cheapens it.

 

[Warrior]

I think that the idea is that medals go for doing something over and above what's "normally" expected. If you hand them out to everyone it cheapens it.

Couldn't agree more; there are thousands of examples of guys in combat who held their intestines in with one hand, leaned on another guy and gave orders until he was shot dead.

.

 

[trooper]

Also when the medal was first instituted. You had to survive the action to receive the medal. It was given more often than not for capturing a flag. I dare say that there were easily thousands and thousands of brave men who met death deserving the recognition of being awarded the Medal of Honor. Unfortunately that wasn't the system at the time.

Unfortunately there were many awards of the medal that were undeserved. The entire 27th Maine, 864 men, received the medal for no more than extending their enlistment at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg. They saw no action and were mustered out very shortly after. In 1916 an army board was formed to review the suitability of previous awards and these 864 formed the bulk of the 911 that were disallowed. At the same time the medal awarded to Doctor Walker, the only Medal of Honour that was awarded to a female during the Civil War, was also rescinded on the grounds that she was a contract surgeon and not army. This was despite the fact that she had attended the wounded, often under fire and at great personal risk. The medal was reinstated during the Clinton administration.

 

[Scott]

Couldn't agree more; there are thousands of examples of guys in combat who held their intestines in with one hand, leaned on another guy and gave orders until he was shot dead.

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Well yeah ..... But if nobody important saw the other thousands.....yours and my opinion doesn't count on the M of H board.

 

[Sans Culotte]

Very pleased to note Cushing's award. Certainly, a great number of troops went above & beyond during the G'burg Campaign. Let Cushing's medal help to represent ALL those who did.
I've known combat vets from as far back as the Spanish-American War, all of whom did their duty and none of whom received the M of H. But, you know, they never begrudged the ones who did. For example, I have a 92 year-old uncle who fought in Normandy, at the Bulge, and who helped to liberate an extermination camp. He bakes bread, tends his garden, and leaves the hero business to other people.
Again, though, great news about Cushing.

 

[Warrior]

Well yeah ..... But if nobody important saw the other thousands.....yours and my opinion doesn't count on the M of H board.

That noise you heard was my comment whistling over your head..............

 

[Scott]

Nope, just ignored it.

I know the details of Cushing's multiple wounds and devotion to duty very well. The other discussions I'm reading are that Cushing's duty was to stay there which he did, as well as the rest of the battery and supporting units. His staying while horribly wounded could merit the MoH as soldiers are not obliged to stay when wounded. (In the case of Rorkes Drift the walking wounded HAD to fight.) There might have been other soldiers that were wounded and stayed but they weren't noted as well as Cushing was. If the Union line had broken, it wouldn't have mattered. If seeing Cushing inspired the other men then that's a factor as well.