William Barker Cushing: "The Hero of the Civil War" A Campfire Program - Ranger Karlton Smith

[@joycefranklin8981]

A very interesting program! Thank you! I have been to several programs and walks with Karlton, enjoyed them all. He knows what he is talking about!

[@badguy1481]

And lest we forget, the Cushing brothers had a 3rd brother who died gallantly at the hands of marauding Indians, leading his men to safety.

[@RobbyHouseIV]

So William Cushing had no connection to the Battle at Gettysburg correct? I assumed he was the Cushing who was the artillery officer nearest to The Angle at Cemetery Hill on the 3rd of July but see this was somebody else. Seems kind of random.

[@NoelG702]

Robby House It was his brother Alonzo H. Cushing who was at Cemetery Ridge on July 3rd and was eventually killed after being wounded in each hip, the right shoulder and abdomen. Some say he was holding in his intestines with 1 hand while still commanding his battery. Some also say he put his thumb over the hole in the back of the cannon to stop the hot gases from being released while loading. This was usually done with a leather thumb glove so the person would not get burnt but he did it with his bare thumb and it burned it to the bone. He eventually ordered his 2 remaining guns up to the stone wall at the angle and fired a final triple canister round before being shot through he mouth and killed instantly. He was recently awarded the Medal of Honor in 2014. So the Cushing family had a couple brave boys who did spectacular things for the union.

[@RobbyHouseIV]

Ltrain44 Yes I soon learned they were a pair of brothers. One in the Infantry(Alonzo) and one in the Navy.

[@MANC2311]

Artillery.

[@badguy1481]

@@MANC2311 The brothers had a 3rd brother who also fought in MANY FAMOUS battles of the Civil War as a cannon battery commander. He even applied and eventually received orders to take the place of his dead brother, Alonzo's, position in Alonzo's A battery. It was this 3rd brother, Howard, who later died, a hero, in the Indian wars in the West, attempting to lead his men to safety from an ambush. He is buried at the Presidio, in San Francisco, and there is a street, there, named after him. What a family! "Having found a small band of warriors, they dismounted and engaged the Chiricahuas. It was soon determined that they had engaged with an overwhelming force, close to 100 warriors. Sgt. Mott sent Pvt. Chapman to warn Lt. Cushing that he could be headed into a trap. Lt. Cushing along with seven others rushed to aid Sgt. Mott and his men but Cushing had either severely underestimated the size of Chiricahua war party or was over confident from his previous successes. Either way a violent exchange of gunfire took place. Soon after Sgt. Mott heard Lt. Cushing say “Sergeant I am killed” take me out, take me out!! Mott saw Cushing had a chest wound. Mott and Pvt. Fichter grabbed Cushing and tried to get him to the horses. After only few steps he was mortally wounded through the head with another shot. It is with great irony that his brother Alonzo suffered a similar mortal head wound at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863. At this point the remaining troopers had no choice but to withdraw as quickly as possible."

[@frankgioia514]

i am truly sorry but the speech impediment makes it hard to understand.