Ambrose Burnside
Born May 23, 1824
Liberty, Indiana
Died September 13, 1881
Bristol, Rhode Island
Union general
Best known for his decisive defeat at the Battle of
Fredericksburg and his unsuccessful "Crater"
attack during the siege of Petersburg
Ambrose Burnside is best known for his disastrous command of the Union's Army of the Potomac from November 1862 to January 1863. During the course of this three-month period, Burnside's army suffered a major defeat at Fredericksburg, Virginia, at the hands of Confederate general Robert E. Lee (1807–1870; see entry). Burnside then tried to rally his army by launching an offensive across Virginia's Rappahannock River, but the Union march fell apart when bad weather reduced the army's route to a muddy quagmire. After his removal from command of the Army of the Potomac, Burnside served the North well by helping to hold Knoxville, Tennessee, against Southern forces. But in late 1864, his scheme to break Confederate defenses at Petersburg failed miserably. This attack, known as the Battle of the Crater, ended Burnside's military career.
Soldier and Inventor
Ambrose Everett Burnside was born on May 23, 1824, to a former South Carolina slaveowner who settled in Indianaafter freeing his slaves. He received a good education as a youngster, and in 1843 he enrolled in the prestigious U.S.
This page contains 201 words.
Ambrose Burnside article
Read the rest of this article.
This article contains 2,447 words
(approx. 8 pages at 300 words per page).
Order our Ambrose Burnside Article
