BURN'SIDE, Am [MOSE EVERETT ( 1824-81 ) .
An eminent American soldier, prominent on the Federal side during the Civil War. lie was horn in Liberty. lnd.; attended a village school, and at seventeen was indentured to a merchant tailor; but soon afterwards was appointed to the United States .Nlilitary Academy. where he graduated in 1847. He then spent some years in garrison duty, but later resigned from the ser vice, and from 1853 until 1858 was a manufac turer of firearms at Bristol, R. 1., inventing the Burnside breech-loading rifle in 1556. On the outbreak of the Civil War he entered the Federal Army, and from May to August. 1861, was colonel of Rhode island volunteers. partici pating as such in the first battle of Bull Run. He became brigadier-general of volunteers on August 6, was engaged in organizing the 'Coast Division' of the Army of the Potomac from October, 1861, to January. 1862, and commanded the Department of North Carolina from January to July of this year, during which time he cap tured Roanoke Island, occupied Newbern, N. C., and forced the surrender of Fort Macon, Beau fort. On March 18, 1862, he was raised to the rank of major-general of volunteers. He was then
placed in command of the renforcements intend ed for the Army of the Potomac, which later constituted the Ninth Army Corps, and in July was offered, but emphatically refused, the chief command of the Army of Virginia. After the second battle of Bull Run he was again offered the chief command, the Army of Virginia now being merged into the Army of the Potomac; but he again declined it, and served under Mc Clellan as commander of the Ninth Corps in the Maryland campaign against Lee, participating in the battle of South Mountain, and command ing the left wing in the battle of Antietam on September 17. (See ANTIETAM, BATTLE OF.) Though still feeling that he was unqualified for the position. he was finally—on November placed in command of the Army of the Potomac, and conducted the campaign against Lee, which .
virtually ended with the overwhelming defeat of the Federals at Fredericksburg, on December 13. Burnside attacked on this occasion with foolhardy recklessness, and, in general, proved unequal to the task assigned to him. (See