Alonzo Cushing 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 to award him the Medal of Honor ; more than 150 years after his death , 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 , and it was awarded on November 6 , 2014 . Early life . Cushing was born in what is now the city of Delafield , Wisconsin , but was 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 ) . Civil War service . 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 shell fragment which tore into his abdomen and groin . This wound exposed Cushing ' s 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 . 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 , the inscription " Faithful unto Death . " Cushing was posthumously cited for gallantry with a brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel . Medal of Honor . Cushing has been 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 has been also been advocated by Congressman Ron Kind of Wisconsin ' s 3rd congressional district . In 2002 , Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin 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 ) of Virginia in December 2012 . Finally , in December 2013 , the Senate passed a defense bill that included a provision which granted Cushing the Medal of Honor . The nomination was sent for review by the Defense Department , 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 , President Obama bestowed the honor on Cushing . Legacy . 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 .