NEW : `` It was left in shambles and destroyed . '' Heroism was forgotten , shoved to background , historian says . 1st Lt . William Cushing commanded a Union artillery battery at Gettysburg . He helped rebuff giant Confederate charge known as Pickett 's Charge . Despite wounds , he kept firing until he was shot in the head .
NEW : Heroism was forgotten , shoved to background , historian says . 1st Lt . William Cushing commanded a Union artillery battery at Gettysburg . He helped rebuff giant Confederate charge known as Pickett 's Charge . Despite wounds , he kept firing until he was shot in the head .