The Phillips House, just over the Rappahannock River from Fredericksburg, Va.

Over the years in the United States, many veterans remember the holidays as difficult times when on active duty away from their families. This year, I decided to share a story I have been asked to share many times about one of our area’s famous veterans. This article is dedicated to all of our service members around the world who are away from home during the holidays serving their country with distinction. To all those away from home, thank you for your service to our country in the most difficult of circumstances.

Lieutenant Alonzo Cushing graduated from West point in June of 1861 and immediately began his active service to the United States Army during the American Civil War. As Christmas approached over a year later, Lieutenant Cushing was in the middle of a major battle in Virginia that became known as the Battle of Fredericksburg on December 11 – 15, 1862. Cushing had written his family members regularly during the war and was confident in a Union victory in the coming battle. Little did Cushing know, but the Battle of Fredericksburg was to become a massive Union defeat that would lead to the Confederacy’s bold spring plans in 1863 that culminated in the Battle of Gettysburg — where Cushing would be killed in action on July 3rd.

As the battle at Fredericksburg unfolded two weeks before Christmas in 1862, Lieutenant Cushing served on Brigadier General Edwin Sumner’s staff working as a temporary staff officer of Topographical Engineers. Cushing was vital to the placement of troops throughout the five days of the battle, which resulted in his recommendation to be breveted to the rank of Captain afterwards. The recommendation for promotion was of little consolation to Cushing, as he witnessed his beloved Second Corps being severely beaten by General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia yet again.

As Christmas approached in 1862, Cushing had little to celebrate.

Alonzo Cushing had spent the majority of his young life (his 22nd birthday was coming up in a few weeks) growing up in Fredonia with his four brothers and younger sister. His mother Mary Barker Cushing was a widow raising five children, so Christmas in Fredonia for the Cushings was not extravagant by any means. All the children did odd jobs around town and helped their mother to support the family. Christmas was a time of few presents, but a great deal of love and respect in the Cushing household. A late Christmas gift arrived in January of 1857 for Alonzo Cushing – it was a gift he had prayed for and finally received – an appointment to West Point Military Academy. It was certainly a life changing event for the young man.

As Cushing thought back to the Christmases of his youth in Fredonia, it was General Sumner who made Alonzo feel at home in their headquarters of Phillips House, just over the Rappahannock River from Fredericksburg. The sting of the lost battle and being away from home at Christmas was made a little more bearable as Lieutenant Cushing was part of a Christmas Eve dinner of pheasant with the officers of Sumner’s staff. Christmas day for Cushing meant inspections of the Second Corps with General Sumner all day, followed by a huge turkey dinner for the staff officers. After dinner, Lieutenant Cushing enjoyed smoking his pipe with the other officers and having a special glass of sherry. Christmas day of 1862 was to be Alonzo Cushing’s last Christmas.

In the weeks after his last Christmas, Alonzo Cushing was able to see his mother back in Fredonia again (he had not seen her since 1859) for the last time. He then escorted his mother by train to Massachusetts where she would stay with her large family there until summer. Lieutenant Cushing headed back to the army and was allowed to take command of Battery A of the 4th U.S. Artillery on February 24, 1863. This became Cushing’s unit, one that he commanded until his death on July 3, 1863 at Gettysburg while leading his men against Pickett’s Charge.

It seems that Cushing got perhaps the two most important gifts he could ask for on his last Christmas – a chance to see his mother and command of his own artillery unit. In a strange turn of fate, while Cushing was gone on leave back to Fredonia, the Phillips House where he spent his last Christmas burned down. It had burned down on Feb. 14, with only the brick walls left standing upon Cushing’s return. The attached picture is the only known picture of the house from before the war.

Lieutenant Cushing’s heroic death at Gettysburg in 1863 was nearly forgotten for 150 years, until President Barack Obama awarded Cushing the Medal of Honor on November 6, 2014. President Obama stated that “it is never too late to do the right thing” in his presentation speech. Alonzo Cushing’s sacrifice is just one story of such sacrifice in the history of the United States. During this holiday season, please remember those who serve our country around the world in our armed forces, as well as those who serve their communities as front line workers during COVID-19. They’re all heroes and deserving of our thanks during this holiday season!

Todd Langworthy is a retired Social Studies teacher at Forestville Central School as well as current adjunct at SUNY Fredonia. Langworthy has also served as the Town of Pomfret Historian since 2005 and is a current trustee for the Chautauqua County Historical Society. Sources for this article are from the book Cushing of Gettysburg by Kent Masterson Brown, as well as an interview with Brown in April 2010 at his home in Lexington, KY. Information is also included from various letters from the Cushing Archives at the McClurg Museum in Westfield,NY.