Short Takes

I am happy to report that Lt. Alonzo Cushing, USA, will almost certainly receive a long-overdue Medal of Honor. Cushing died defending his guns at the climax of one of the most memorable events of American history—the Confederate attack on Cemetery ridge on July 3 at Gettysburg.

Before Gettysburg, Cushing fought at Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville as well as the Battle of Bull Run. Historic accounts of the Gettysburg battle place Cushing and his men of Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery near a small grove of trees in a confined spot known as “the Angle” because of a stone fence used by Union troops during the third day of the battle.

This was the area of Pickett’s Charge. Before that desperate and ultimately disastrous gamble, Confederate artillery launched a ferocious bombardment that decimated Cushing’s unit. When the Confederate cannonade stopped, Cushing had only two working cannons and a few soldiers left. Despite being told by his superiors to seek medical attention, Cushing refused to leave the front line or disband what remained of his battery. He had been wounded in the shoulder and was holding in his intestines with his hand after shrapnel ripped through his abdomen and groin.

Battery A moved the two remaining guns to the stone wall and blasted away at the charging Confederates. Cushing was seen firing one of the cannons into the mass of Pickett’s soldiers as they drew close to the stone wall. A few seconds after he yelled “I will give them one more shot,” Cushing was struck in the mouth by a bullet that killed him instantly.

The request has been approved by the Secretary of the Army and will almost certainly be granted. Well done, Lieutenant Cushing!

Meanwhile, a group wants a separate census category for “Confederate Americans.”

Question 9 of the census form asks respondents to identify their race and lists White, Black/African American/Negro, American Indian, Native Alaskan, Japanese and Korean as options, among others. But it also leaves a box with 19 blank spaces for anyone who wants to write in another race not listed.

“Fill in ‘Confed Southern Am.’ … This will put your Confederate nationality on the record. It’s just that simple,” SLRC Chief Trial Counsel Kirk D. Lyons says in a video posted on YouTube (see above) and Facebook.

I am having a new hammer installed on a Colt Python and am having the nickeling done by Baron Technology in Trumbull, CT. Had a most interesting talk with them, apparently they also do a lot of engraving of historic arms, such as the beautiful LeMat revolver honoring Jeb Stuart.

Sadly, New England, long a leader in firearms technology and manufacturing, is losing many of its legendary firms. The latest is Marlin in North Haven, CT, which will lay off 265 workers. Over the years New England has become rather gun-unfriendly and heavily unionized, leading many firms to move south. Marlin is now headquartered right here in NC, as is Para Ordnance, formerly of Canada. Y’all come!