WASHINGTON (AP) ― President Barack Obama has presented the highest U.S. military honor to a Union Army officer who was killed more than 150 years ago during the Battle of Gettysburg, often described as the turning point of the American Civil War.
Obama says he’s aware he may not be president today if it weren’t for the bravery of 1st Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing and his fellow troops.
Obama presented the Medal of Honor to a distant Cushing cousin. She pushed Congress to get him the honor. That’s because recommendations normally must be made within two years of the act of heroism being recognized.
Obama says, “sometimes even the most extraordinary stories can get lost in the passage of time.’’
Obama congratulated Cushing’s cousin for bringing Republicans and Democrats together. He joked that the White House may call on her again for help.
Cushing was born in Delafield, Wisconsin, raised in Fredonia, New York, and buried at his alma mater, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, after his death at age 22. He commanded about 110 men and six cannons, defending the Union position on Cemetery Ridge against Pickett’s Charge, a major Confederate thrust that was repelled by Union forces.
On the third day of battle, Cushing’s small force stood its ground under severe artillery bombardment and an assault by nearly 13,000 advancing Confederate infantrymen. Wounded in the stomach and right shoulder, Cushing refused to move to the rear despite his wounds and insisted on ordering his guns to the front lines.
He was shot and killed as Confederate forces closed in on his position. Had the Confederate invasion of the North succeeded, its troops might have encircled Washington and forced the government to surrender.
“His actions made it possible for the Union Army to successfully repulse the assault,’’ according to a White House summary of Cushing’s actions.
Two of Cushing’s cousins joined Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at a White House ceremony commemorating the lieutenant’s service and sacrifice.
The Medal of Honor is given to service members who risk their lives in acts of personal bravery above and beyond the call of duty.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
