FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Alonzo Cushing ~ 02 October 2017

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[Kathy in Alaska]

 

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~ Hall of Heroes ~
 

Alonzo Cushing
Info from here.

 

           

Alonzo Hersford Cushing (January 19, 1841 – July 3, 1863) was an artillery officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He died at the Battle of Gettysburg while defending the Union position on Cemetery Ridge against Pickett's Charge. Action was undertaken in 2013, 150 years after Cushing's death, to award him the Medal of Honor. The nomination was approved by the United States Congress, and was sent for review by the Defense Department and the President.

On August 26, 2014, the White House announced he would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. President Obama awarded him the medal on November 6, 2014, in a White House ceremony attended by Cushing's distant cousins, Frederic Stevens Sater and Frederic Cushing Stevens III, and their families, although his closest relation was Helen Bird Loring Ensign, a first cousin twice removed. Cushing left no direct descendants.

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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 Lt. William B. Cushing. They were the youngest of four brothers who eventually served in the Union forces. (Their brother Howard was also killed while fighting the Chiricahua in 1871).

Cushing graduated from the United States Military Academy in the class of June 1861, and received commissions as second and first lieutenant on the same day. He was brevetted major following the Battle of Chancellorsville. Cushing commanded Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery at 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. Cushing was killed when a bullet entered his mouth and exited through the back of his skull. He died on the field at the height of the assault. He was 22 years old.

His body was returned to his family and then interred in the West Point Cemetery in Section 26, Row A, Grave 7. His headstone bears, at the behest of his mother, Mary, 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.

Cushing was posthumously cited for gallantry with a brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel.

Cushing was nominated for a belated award of the Medal of Honor, beginning with a letter campaign in the late 1980s by constituents of Senator William Proxmire of Wisconsin. The measure was also advocated by Congressman Ron Kind of Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district. In 2002, Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) nominated Cushing for the Medal of Honor and, following a lengthy investigation, the U.S. Army approved the nomination in February 2010. In order for the medal to be awarded, it had to be approved by the United States Congress. It was announced on May 20, 2010 that Cushing would receive the Medal of Honor, 147 years after his death.

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. On August 26, 2014, the White House announced Cushing would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. On November 6, 2014, 151 years after Alonzo Cushing's death, President Obama presented the award at a ceremony at the White House, attended by two dozen relatives of the Cushing family.

Alonzo H. Cushing Camp #5 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War serves the Ozaukee County region of Wisconsin. A small state park in Delafield was dedicated to the memory of Cushing and two of his brothers, William and Howard. While the park remains dedicated to the memory of the Cushing brothers, it is now the property of the City of Delafield. 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.

 

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[PROCON]

Hiya radu!

Well my back was a bit sore this morning from yesterday's attic crawl.

But with a couple of ibuprofens and a long, hot shower I recovered nicely.

I mowed today and visited the dogs, not much else happening.

You and the kittehs have a good Sunday?

[luvie]

Thanks, galz, for another awesome story of one of our brave American military heroes!

[radu]

Hey there Kathy.

Yes, Baby was shown off yesterday morning and afternoon. It was a beautiful day for a cruise-in and the turnout was good.

Have you had a relaxing weekend? No alarm clocks going off to wake you up early? :-)

[luvie]

Sorry the yard sale didn’t go as well as you’d have liked. But the fellowship was good.

Hope you are rested by the morning!

[radu]

I feel for ya with the achin’ back. Twisting and turning in a confined space will do that though.
I gather the itching from the insulation has stopped?

Loads of fun here today. It was scrub the litter boxes day. LOL! It was a good day for it though - - not hot and it was windy. They dry quickly when it’s windy and the job gets knocked out pretty quickly.

Hubby just got home from his 2nd trip to MS this weekend. He and some others are making trips down there to bring back a bunch of military vehicles for the new museum I posted a link to a little while back. He’s been telling me about what they brought back and what’s still down there for future trips. I’m planning to go with them when they go back in two weeks because I’m dying to see all the stuff that fella collected over the years. His collection is massive and these vehicles are only a small portion of what he’s selling.

[radu]

Howdy, LUV.

How was your day? Have y’all gotten rain this weekend?

[ConorMacNessa]

Good evening, Kathy and Star!

***HUGS***



Thanks very much – coming aboard! Rendering Hand Salutes to our National Colors and to the Officer of the Deck!

And thanks very much to you and Star for tonight’s Hall of Heroes thread! Brevet Lt. Col. Alonzo H. Cushing, USA (MOH) is most worthy of entry into our Hall of Heroes!

[The Mayor]

Thank you!
Another week has begun. Time to conquer it.

[luvie]

Howdy! it was a good day, even though it did warm up to like 79. We got some slow rain yesterday, but the clouds moved away and the sun came out this afternoon, after a foggy morning.

Did y’all have fun at the Cruise In?

[radu]

Heck, 79 isn’t too bad. A lot better than 99! Good to hear y’all got some rain, and a slow rain at that. It’s the soaking kind. Your hubby probably won’t appreciate it, though, when he has to mow. LOL

Yes, it was a good time at the cruise-in yesterday. Beautiful day though it was a little brisk with the wind blowing. I wore short sleeves and wished for long sleeves but got through it well enough.
Lots of nice cars and good folks made for a fun day.

[radu]

Howdy do, Conor. *HUGZ*

Did y’all have a nice time at the house-warming party today?

[luvie]

Indeed it is better! And, poor hubby has to mow tomorrow. He said he’d like to wait till Tuesday...not sure why....but it will have grown another 1/4” by then. Very healthy yard this year. We’ve had 17.5” for the year, which is excellent! Our average is 14.05” so we’re way ahead of the game!

Glad the cruise-in was fun. I’d be drooling over all those beautiful classics! Especially Baby! :)

[MoochPooch]

Evening, Kathy! Interesting history, as well as bio. (A change from WWII on.)

[radu]

Sweet! Nice to have a good year for rain every once in a while, even if your hubby isn’t happy about having to mow. :-)

I haven’t totaled up our amount to this point in time yet. I do know Sept. was pretty dry. I had to water the flowers Fri. and should have done it again today, but I got caught up in scrubbing the litter boxes instead. I’ll water tomorrow. No rain in the forecast until next weekend and that’s a remote chance. :-(

[ConorMacNessa]

Good evening, Radu!

*HUGS*

We had a great time, thanks! Mrs. MacNessa's nephew and his Sweetie-Pie put on a great party. Good food, drink and camaraderie in their beautiful new home.

We had an easy drive in both directions. I don't know if you're familiar with the drive from the Washington-Baltimore Metroplex to Ocean City, MD and back. It used to be a real ordeal, but improvements have been made. Our trip to Salisbury took 2 hrs 10 minutes - the return trip took 2 hrs 15 minutes. The total distance was 239 miles to and from. In my youth the trip back on a Sunday evening could easily have taken 8 hours. The trip outward bound on Sunday would take 4 hours in any event - the dreaded Kent Narrows and local traffic in Easton and Cambridge Maryland.

I hope you and yours have had a great weekend as well!

"I am an American fighting man. I serve in the forces guarding our country and our way of life.
I am prepared to give my life in their defense."

[luvie]

Should you want it to rain before the corn is harvested? Or has it been already?

Our preacher is from Lubbock, north of here where they raise a huge amount of cotton. While we are loving the rain, they would love a couple of weeks of sunshine so the cotton bolls will swell, pop out and they have a decent crop.

So...perspective is everything. :)

[radu]

Awesome! Glad y’all had a great time today. Travel time is certainly a HUGE improvement over the years since you were young. It left you plenty of time to enjoy good company and good food. :-)

I’m not familiar with that area. I’ve only been up in those parts once and that was in ‘71, and I don’t remember much about it any more.

Yesterday was a fun day here, taking Baby to a cruise-in, and today was a quiet one. A good weekend overall.

[radu]

Nope, really shouldn’t want it to rain for harvesting purposes but my poor flowers aren’t happy.

I expect to wake up any day now to a cloud of dust and the rumbling of a combine in the fields. The corn’s ready and it’s just a matter of when Dusty and his crew make it around to the farm. Dusty owns a lot of land as well as rents a lot of acreage in the county and makes the rounds.

Wow, the cotton bolls haven’t popped out down there yet? The cotton here is just about ready to be harvested.

[luvie]

I think under normal conditions they would here, too, but for all the rain that has fallen between here and there. It was great for the growing...now it needs to ripen. If they get the dry sunny days they want, there will be a bumper crop for sure.

Farming is such a gamble!

[radu]

I didn't realize they'd had that much rain this summer. Hope it stops for a while so the cotton can ripen.

Farming is such a gamble!

One of Aunt Clara's favorite sayings. One of the very few things she still remembers.