The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1862-11-22

2 GENERAL BURNsIDE,
The New Commamder Of the
Army Of the Potomac. n
3 The iongexpected and. ohen.rumored
change hssat last been made Gen. Burn.
side commands the Army Of the Potomac
the Grand Army Of the war Of 186i--and
Gen. Mcclellan is ordered to report at Trsn
tou-some saY Trenton, New Jersey, for the
purpose Of consulting with Lieut. Gen. Scott.
. Major General Ambrose Everitt Burnside,
Of the United States volunteer service. is in
the very prime ofiife, having been bora 1t
Liberty, small town'in Union Cou nty. In
diana, an the 93d ss May, 1925 Aiter be-
ing grounded in the rudimsnts Of . liberal
education, he was nominated to The Wcst
Point Military Academy. and his name was
enrolled q . cadet in lsAS He graduated
in fs47, eighteenth in class Of SO members,
and was Immediately attached to the I'd
Artillery with the brevet rank Of Second
Lieutenant. It is fact worthy If note that
none Of the graduates Of 1s47 were appoint
ed either 70 the Engineers. Corps Of Topo-
graphical Ensinsers, or the Ordinance De-
partment. Usually the Arst ten or twelve
graduates are assigned to these corps. but in
i647 twenty three were appointed to artiE
lery and the rest to infantry regiments. The
requirements Of the service, consequent up
on the war with Mexico, then raging. were
NO doubt the cause of this. In September,
lS47, Lieutenant Burnside Was promoted to
full second lieutenancy in Company G,
I'd Artillery, since rendered famous as
'Bragg's Battery Bragg himself being then
captain oft. With this battery Lieutenant
Burnside marched, in Gen. Patterson's Di-
vision, to the City Of Mexico. and remained
there until the close Of the Mexican war
After this he served with his company in
New Mexico. where he was distinguished in
encounters with the Apache Indians, being
icomplimented in general orders. On the
18th of December. 1851, ho vas promoted
tot first lieutenancy, in the room Of an
Iofficer who was cashiered. When the pres.
ent Lieut. Col James D. Graham of TIE Corps
of Typographical Eugineers was appointed
United States Astronomer in the joint CON-
mission to settle the frontier lines Of the
United States and Mexico. Lieut.. Burnside
vas chosen to fill the Office of Quartermastsr,
and in this capacity he conveyed dispatch
es from Col. Graham. to President Fillmore,
travelling twelve hundred miles across the
plains in seventeen days. with an escort Of
only three n,en. Afier serving short time
lat Fort Adams, Newport Harbor, Lieutenant
burnside resigned, in 1868.
After his resignation, he turned bis atten-
ton to the manufacture ofa breech-loading e
rife, Of his own invention, known IS the
Burnside Rife project which resulted in
pecuniary loss. owing. it is said, to tho doub-
ls dealings Of the Secretary Of War, Floyd,
who after promising Burnside that his rife
should be used by the Government, gave
the contract to another inventor with whom
he shared the spoils. Gen. Barnside then
sold his establishment to his brother in-law ,
who has supplied quite 4 number of the
Burnside rifles to the present Administration
Subsequently to this. he Was with Gen. Nc
Clelan, whom he has just superseded. con-
nected with the Illinois Central Railroad.
holding the position Of President Of the Land
Office Department. While residing at Bris-
tol. Rhode Island, he married Miss Bishop,
an estimable lady Of Providence, and re-
moved with her to Chicago, upon being ap-
pointed n the Illinois Central He was
also elected Maj General Of the Rhode Island
Militia during his sojourn At Bristol. Shortly
sitter removing 70 Chicago he was elected
Treasurer Of the Central Railroad, and there
upon removed to this city, from which he
was summoned on the outbreak of the revo-
luton. by Govsrnor Sprague to assume the
Colonelcy Of the 1st Rhode Island volun-
teers. which It may be mentioned, on passant,
was armed With the Burnside Rifles This
regiment. It is well known, did good service
in the first battle of Bull Run, Its Colonel
acting As Brigadier-G General of ths second
brigade, the second division. After this he
was appointed Brigadier General Of Volun-
teers, his commission being dated 9Th Au-,
gust, 1851. or the celebrated burnside
Expedition" to North Carolina, nothing need
be said. Its results are we'll known, and
were even seen here, IN the hundreds Of
rebel prisoners kept 10 captivity on Cover
nor's Island for many monshs until sent to
Columbus, Ohio, to Be exchanged. At the
battie Of Antistam, ia September last, Gen.
Burnside's corps Gorais performed q highly
important part. It took the main rosd to
Sharpsburg to the Jet, and encountered the
most determined opposition in successfully
executing its part Of the general plan Of the
battle. Gen. Burnside had 70 cross the
bridge ovsr the Antietam Greek, and dis
lodge the enemy, who were in strong force
and position on the opposite side. Twice
his army made IN attempt to cross, and
twice it was rspulsed, with heavy loss, bot
the third attack led by the General in per-
son, was successful and the. position was
won, though at . great saori6ua Of life, This
vas one Of the most important acts in the
great Antietam tragedy. In October last,
Il Il