A Union officer receives the Medal of Honor.

1st Lt. Alonzo Cushing (center, back row) with other officers at Antietam, Maryland, in 1862. He died at Gettysburg in July 1863.(Public Domain)

...“This medal (click here) is a reminder that no matter how long it takes, it is never too late to do the right thing,” Obama said.

Cushing commanded an Army artillery battery that was defending Cemetery Ridge in a grueling fight that would become a turning point in the Civil War. He continued to push his men forward despite being wounded....

He died during Picket's Charge.

Pickett's Charge
July 3, 1863

Gen. Robert E. Lee (click here) concentrated his full strength against Maj. Gen. George G. Meade’s Army of the Potomac at the crossroads county seat of Gettysburg at what would come to be known as the Battle of Gettysburg....