caption serviceyears branch commands death_date death_place birth_place allegiance awards battles birth_date placeofburial rank image article_title name
alonzo cushing 1861 -- 1863 usa battery a , 4th u.s. artillery 3 july 1863 cemetery ridge , near gettysburg , pennsylvania delafield , wisconsin , u.s. united states of america 1861 medal of honor american civil war 19 january 1841 west point cemetery , west point , new york 35px brevet lieutenant colonel alonzo cushing.jpg alonzo cushing
 alonzo h. cushing
alonzo cushing

alonzo hersford cushing -lrb- january 19 , 1841 -- july 3 , 1863 -rrb- 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 .
