Ambrose Burnside was a Union General in the Civil War, a railroad executive, and a senator of Rhode Island. He is also credited with the rise of popularity of sideburns. During the Civil War, Burnside was ultimately unsuccessful. He was heavily involved in the war effort by being present at the First Battle of Bull Run and Antietam. At one point, Lincoln made Burnside in charge of the Army of the Potomac. However, Burnside only lasted three months in that position. The Battle of Fredericksburg was a decisive Union defeat that pushed him away from the war effort. He moved west and was in charge of another unit, but after its failure, he resigned.
The Battle of Fredericksburg was a complete Confederate victory that caused Burnside’s demise as a war general. Failed Union advances against Lee’s army led to more than 13,000 casualties. Burnside wanted to rally his units for a second time. However, it started to rain, and his plan, known as the “Mud March” never got carried out. He was blamed for the Union deaths and the loss of the battle. Still, Burnside placed the blame on others, saying that they did not listen to his orders. He was kicked out of his position as General in January 1863.
After Fredericksburg, Burnside went to work in the military in Ohio. Amidst several controversies, such as falsely charging a man with sedition, Burnside’s career in the military was deteriorating. Despite some successes like the Knoxville Campaign, Burnside led many troops to their death, causing him to be placed on leave.
Although Burnside had little success in his military career, he was prominent in the public sector after the Civil War. He worked as an executive for a railroad company and later became the governor of Rhode Island. He also served in the Senate and became the first president of the National Rifle Association. Despite all of these post-war successes, Burnside’s legacy went past his military and civilian involvement.
One cannot talk about Ambrose Burnside without mentioning sideburns - a facial hair style named after him. Although Burnside was not the first to have sideburns, he certainly increased their popularity. During his time at West Point, Burnside was a prankster and a joker. Cadets were prohibited from having long hair and beards, but Burnside got around this by letting his sideburns grow out while keeping his hair and beard short. He was proud of his hairstyle and wore sideburns for the majority of his life. This style, where the chin is clean-shaven and hair from the sides of the face connect at the mustache, have gone in and out of popularity since Burnside’s times. Nevertheless, Burnside’s sideburns created a legacy of facial hair styles that is still occasionally seen today.
Burnside did not fare too well in the Civil War. He was not the most successful in battle and only made it three months as a general. Still, he had a successful career in civilian life and he left an impact on men’s facial hair styles. Even though he had various failures and successes, ultimately, there would be no “sideburns” without Burnside.
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This is a very thorough description of Ambrose Burnside. I thought that you incorporated an interesting aspect of his life, his sideburns, into the post well; in my opinion, it is important to focus on the different facets of a person's life when analyzing a historical figure, not just their career. Before his time, I read that sideburns were referred to as 'side-whiskers', so I agree that he definitely left his legacy is many different places, including the English dictionary.
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https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/sideburns-meaning-origin
I really like how you highlighted many aspects of Ambrose Burnside's life including his attempted military career, impact on the railroad industry and society, as well as his sideburns. I thought it was interesting how despite his many contributions to society including serving as a governor, being president of the National Rifle Association for a time, and having a failed military career, that he was most widely recognized for his popularization of the side burn.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your humor and approach to analyzing the legacy of Ambrose Burnside, which made your blog both engaging and informative. However, as you mentioned in the first paragraph, Burnside was at some point in charge of the Army of the Potomac. I have seen this name come up a number of times but have never really understood its significance. After a little research, I found that the Army of the Potomac was the name giving to the prominent army of Union forces in the east, engaging primarily in the battles of Virginia. Although lacking in success in the first years of the war, it was ultimately responsible for Union victories at Antietam and Gettysburg. Most historians attribute the early losses to a lack of effective and decisive leadership, from Irvin McDowell to George McClellan to Ambrose Burnside to Joseph Hooker. Finally, the last appointed General George Meade lead the Army of the Potomac to its greatest victory at Gettysburg and it was soon aligned under the control of General Ulysses Grant, successfully continuing until the end of the American Civil War.
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https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Army_of_the_Potomac