Ambrose Burnside

General Burnside

(1824-1881)

Forced into leadership roles time after time, Major General Ambrose Burnside would be forever etched into the annals of military history as a defeated leader.

Burnside would be better known for his facial hair than his military accomplishments. The term "side burns" is a variation of the style Burns created, as he would clean shave his chin and allow the hair to join from his ears to his mustache. Burnside realized all too well his abilities on the field of combat yet loved by the people in both the private sector and the army; he was forced into serving as commander time after time.

Burnsides only clear major victory in the Civil War would come at the southern stronghold of Knoxville, Tennessee after that the victories were absent.

Born in Liberty, Indiana in the summer of 1824, Ambrose Burnside was the fourth child of nine. After graduating from the venerable military school West Point, he was assigned to the 2nd US Artillery Unit as a brevet second lieutenant.

Cutting his teeth in The Mexican War as many of his contemporaries, Burnside was wounded in the neck fighting Apache warriors in 1849 and subsequently sent to Rhode Island. When The Civil War erupted,

Burnside raised and lead the 1st Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry that later would be dispatched to Washington, D.C. in May 1861. His first major battle would be the infamous battle of Bull Run in which Burnside would be dealt a major defeat by superior Confederate forces. The overall blame would be handed to Burnside citing that the commander only sent out a few hundred men at a time against the Southern defenses and offered his men up as target practice.

Once Lincoln learned of the defeat of Burnside, he ordered the commander to muster out of service his regiment, but promoted him to the distinguished role of leader of the volunteer services. The ironic twist of this was that Burnside was all too well aware of his lacking in military commands.

Lincoln saw something in Ambrose that lead him to believe that he could be a great war general. Honest Abe was incorrect from time to time, as Ambrose never rose to the level of his President's delusion. Battle after battle Burnside would have the best intentions and usually the army would throw a monkey wrench into his battle itinerary.

Subsequent losses at Fredericksburg and Petersburg would not even allow Burnside to resign. The US Army leaders kept on believing in him as a true leader even as General Burnside would explain that his military experience was limited.

Years after the Civil war was over and won by the Union, Burnside hung up his trusty rifle for good and went into the private sector. Here Burnside was in his element rising to director of numerous railroad and industrial leadership roles.

On the battlefield Burnside was always defeated but in business he was a staunchly efficient leader. He was elected three times as governor of Rhode Island (1866-'68) and was well received by his constituency and citizens.

Burnside would die on September 13, 1881 from an angina attack in his home in Rhode Island. Forever known as the forced into service leader of defeated Union armies.

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