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Ambrose Burnside, the Union general, was a major player on the Civil War stage from the first clash at Bull Run until the final summer of the war.He led a corps or army during most of this time and played important roles in various theaters of the war.But until now, he has been remembered mostly for his distinctive side-whiskers that gave us the term "sideburns" and as an incompetent leader who threw away thousands of lives in the bloody battle of Fredericksburg.

In a biography focusing on the Civil War years, William Marvel reveals a more capable Burnside who managed to acquit himself credibility as a man and a soldier.Along the Carolina coast in 1862, Burnside won victories that catapulted him to fame.In that same year, he commanded a corps at Antietam and the Army of the Potomac at Fredericksburg.In East Tennessee in the summer and fall of 1863, he captured Knoxville, thereby fulfilling one of Lincoln's fondest dreams.Back in Virginia during the spring and summer of 1864, he once again led a corps at the battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg.But after the fiasco of the Crater he was denied another assignment, and he resigned from the army the day that Lincoln was assassinated.

Marvel challenges the traditional evaluation of Burnside as a nice man who failed badly as a general.Marvel's extensive research indicates that Burnside was often the scapegoat of his superiors and his junior officers and that William B. Franklin deserves a large share of the blame for the Federal defeat at Fredericksburg.He suggests that Burnside's Tennessee campaign of 1863 contained much praiseworthy effort and shows during the Overland campaign from the Wilderness to Petersburg, and at the battle of the Crater, Burnside consistently suffered slights from junior officers who were confident that they could get away with almost any slur against "Old Burn."Although Burnside's performance included an occasional lapse, Marvel argues that he deserved far better treatment than he has received from his peers and subsequently from historians. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Blundering Bungeler or victim of "McClellanism"
I'll admit this is one of those type bios where you'll have more questions than answers. The cult of McClellanism is explored in depth however and presents a facit of the American Civil War I was aware of previously but nowhere near to the depth explored in this book. McClellanism as defined- the attempt to manipulate sources including outright lies, to omissions, to "white lies". White lies in this case strategecically forgetting or changing the exact (or inexact) hour an order to move was issued.At Antietam was Burnside ordered to move at 8AM,10AM,or noon? The records are hazy to say the least and the"rent a scapegoat" Burnside vulnerable in the extreme due to his penchant for not being boisterously indignant(even when wrong)?.George McClellan and his "team" found it easy to use Burnside to explain the numerous failures of the Army of the Potomac.
Burnside seemed to do very well in coastal operations around North Carolina and as commander of the Army of the Ohio where he thwarted confederate forces under Longstreet at Knoxville,Tennessee.He seems to do real bad anywhere near Washington where politicians posing as Generals are in abundance.Burnsides savage blunders at Rohrbach bridge,Fredericksburg,North Anna,and the Crater are given rich treatment that would be a plus to his credit at any Court Martial hearing.By the way the troops appeared to love the charismatic Burnside but his horse;(mean and be careful when offering apples)!!There is no final answer to the Burnside enigma but this book presents the Indiana born Quaker General in quite a different light.Not far from where Burnside was raised,but not close enough to hear,"Hoosier",Abe Lincoln grew up.

A fine biography of a real dunderhead.
Marvel(the author is aptly named) and greatly wonder, that was what I increasingly did reading this excellent biography of Major-General Ambrose Everett Burnside. I marvelled at the fact that it was possible that soldier's lives were ever entrusted to this man (and he wasn't even the worst one) and wondered how someone who was so insecure, mediocre, naïve and, well, just plain dumb succeeded in reaching such important commands. Oh, let's just say it: the man was a colossal dunderhead.

Fredericksburg, Knoxville, the Wilderness and the Crater are the sad testament to Burnside's military abilities. Why the Lincoln administration continued to employ him is still beyond me. Even in 1864 when they had got rid of most stupidheads in command of Union troops, Grant still let Burnside lead an army corps, knowing fully well that Burnside was not a vigourous and competent leader!

As a person he was very likable: a pleasant, caring and modest fellow, a true gentleman. Everybody liked Burnside, but everybody also knew he was a failure as a general. But the fact that Burnside was a nice bloke,kind and well-meaning, does not excuse his failings as a general.

After the war he was very busy in the Senate, lobbying for veteran's affairs, which is highly laudable, but I can't help thinking that there would have been a lot more veterans alive after the Civil War if Burnside had never been given a command higher than a brigade.
A very good book, sympathetic to its subject, but not blind to his faults. Recommended.

One thing though: Why does this book have that odd, psychedelic cover? a bad reproduction of Burnsides portrait in front of some weird and freaky serrated plant leaves. What's that all about, huh??? It looks chaep too. For Pete's sake, get a better cover on the next edition, wouldya?

A Decent Man
Ambrose Burnside is an easy man to come to conclusions about. Describing himself as not competent to lead the Army of the Potomac, he subsequently confirms it with his disastrous performance at Fredericksburg. Again, later in the war, fate taps him to perform miserably at the Crater, a catastrophe that ends his military career. As a result, we are taught by history to hate him and with the benefit of these awful events, we do.

But who was this man and why did people like him so? Why, after the Crater, was he able to become Senator from, and Governor of, Rhode Island subsequent to the Civil War?Who was this man who remained so loyal to George McClelland that he refused to replace him when offered the promotion. Why was he the second highest ranking officer in the Union Army and what were the reasons for his victories along the Carolina Coast in 1862 and at Knoxville against Longstreet in 1863? The answer is simple: He could be trusted.

William Marvel does a wonderful job of explaining Burnside. As a result, we are introduced to a wonderful person, an entrepreneur, a loyal friend and confidant, a combat soldier promoted beyond his capabilities to be sure but one who remained so admired by those around him that even Grant, who relieved him from command after the Crater, sought his friendship and support as President of the United States.

A little long
Marvel's account is pretty much all you have to turn to if you want to read about the infamous Burnside. The author tries his hardest to present Burnside in a favorable light, going so far as to claim he could have won at Fredericksburg if not for the slowness of General Franklin. Marvel's contentions about Burnside's competency are at best debatable. As noted elsewhere, there is very little here about Burnside's early life (perhaps due to lack of source material), and less understandably, little is included about his post-war political career.
I feel the book was a bit long, going into great detail about situations where Burnside's subordinates were preforming some maneuver in New Berne or East Tennessee. The book could have been edited down by a hundred pages or so.
There also a lack of the voice of the subject. Very few letters seem to exist from Burnside, so it is hard to get to know him outside the limits of his official communications.

A Suprisingly Complex Burnside
Ambrose Burnside remains famous for his staggering incompetence as a Civil War general and his facial hair. In this solid biography, William Marvel presents a more intriguing character than most Civil War buffs would think.

Marvel takes the reader through the various triumphs and defeats of Burnside's career. While not ignoring the disasters at Fredrciskburg and the Crater, Marvel does show that Burnside had some ability as his operations in North Carolina and, to a lesser extent, east Tennessee show. Marvel also does an excellent job in illuminating a number of the minor assignments that Burnside handled well, including his command in Ohio as well as his efforts at recruiting. Burnside's humanity comes through very clearly. Marvel does an excellent job of showing
how the Civil War transformed Burnside's thoughts on race. The prewar Jacksonian Democrat became a Republican as the nature of the war changed. Unlike his friend George McClellan, Burnside seemed to understand that the war had become about more than preserving the Union and started drifting along the same tide as others. The conservative who at the start of the war seemed willing to preserve slavery recognized that the institution of human bondage had to be ended with the Confederacy. Burnside, more than most Union generals, also appreciated the use of African-American soldiers. Marvel shows Burnside in a much more complex light than the caricature of an affable incompetent. Marvel also shows that Burnside had his own circle of subordinates and friends who remained loyal to their chief.

But the book has its flaws. While excellent on the war years, Marvel has little to say on Burnside's pre-war career inlcuding his friendship with George McClellan, his 1858 campaign for Congress and his failed attempt to produce rifles for the Army. Even more astonishing, Marvel has almost nothing to say about Burnside's important post-war political career. Burnside served three terms as governor of Rhode Island and was an important senator for seven years. Some of the more interesting stories which help humanize Burnside are burried in the endnotes (such as a funny tale of Burnside playfully whacking an aide over the head with a slipper).

Still, the book remains an excellent one and is of interest to any Civil War scholar. The book is also very readable. While a bit savage to McClellan, the author seems as affable as the subject; high praise indeed since Burnside's charitable nature comes through on almost every page. ... Read more

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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: David Trimble, Baron Trimble, Reg Empey, Robert Bradford, David Burnside, William Craig, Kennedy Lindsay, Glenn Barr, Tommy Herron, Jim Wilson, Cecil Harvey, Ernest Baird, George Green, Robert Overend, Billy Hull, John Dunlop. Excerpt:Billy Hull (born 1912) was a loyalist activist in Northern Ireland . Hull worked at the Harland and Wolff engine shop in Belfast , and became the convenor of shop stewards there. He joined the Northern Ireland Labour Party , but resigned in 1969 in protest at the Northern Ireland policy of the British Labour Party . In February 1971, he led a march of 4,000 shipyard workers to demand the introduction of internment . Instead, he founded the Loyalist Association of Workers (LAW), which campaigned against the abolition of the Parliament of Northern Ireland . From 1972 - 73, he was a member of the inner council of the paramilitary Ulster Defence Association , and also in 1972, he was a prominent founder member of Ulster Vanguard . Hull stood for the Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party in North Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1973 , but took only 852 votes and was not elected. He contemplated turning the LAW into a new, working class loyalist party, but this was fiercely opposed by Vanguard leader William Craig . The LAW collapsed, many of its members forming the Ulster Workers Council . In 1974, Hull was shot and injured in an attack by other Loyalist paramilitaries, possibly the Ulster Volunteer Force . References (URLs online) A hyperlinked version of this chapter is at Cecil Harvey was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland . Harvey was a founding elder of Ian Paisley 's Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster , in 1951. The following year, he suggested the congregation's move from Crossgar to Whiteabbey . He was also active in th... ... Read more

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Originally published in 1899-1901.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more