The Burlington weekly hawk-eye., 1862-11-15
GEHNRRAL BURNSIDE.
Ahe New Csm0anAor Of the Army o
the R01n1naN.

The leng-expected and often.rumored change
nas at iastDeen made. Gen. Burnside commands
the Army OF the Potomac-the Grand Army
of the war of lS61-and Gen. Mcclellan is or
dered to report at Trenton-some saw Trenton.
New Jersey,for the purpose Of consulting with
Lieut.. Gen. Scott. Major General Ambrose
Everitt Burnside Of the United States yolt,p.
tcer service, is in the very prime of life. hay.
ing been born At Liberty, Q small town in
Union County, Indiana, on the 23d of Nav.
1925. After being grounded in the rudiments
Of q liberal education, he was nominated to
the West Point Military Academy, and his
name Was enrolled as cadet in 1S42. He
graduated in 1847, eighteenth in q class of 38
members, and was Immediately attached to the
I'd Artillery with the brevet rank Of Second
Lieutenant 1t is fact worthy Of note that
none of the graduates of 1847 were appointed
either to the Engineers, Corps of Topogra2h-
iCsl Engineers, or the Ordnance Department.
Usually the first ten or twelve graduates are
| -igned to these corps, but in 1847 twenty.
three were appointed to artillery and the rest
to infantry regiments. The requirements Of
the service, consequent upon the war with
Mexico, then raging, were no doubt the cause
of this. In September, 1S47 Lieut. Burnside
was promoted to full second lientenancy in
Company c, I'd Artillery. since rendered fa-
nous as "Bragg's Battery" Bragg himself be-
ing then captain oft. With this battery Lieut..
Burnside marched, in Gen. Patterson's Divis-
ion. 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 complimented
in general orders. Oh the 18th of December,
1851, he was promoted to first ieutenancy,
in the room of an officer who was csshiered.
When the present Lieut. Col James d. Graham
of the Corps of Typographical Engineers was
oppointed United States Astronomer in the
joint commission to settle the frontier lines Of
the United States and Mexico, Lieut.. Burnside
was chosen to fill the Office of Qua,termaster,
and in this capacity he conveyed dispatches
from Col Graham to President Fillmore, trav-
elling twelve hundred miles across the plains
in seventeen days, with an escort of only three
men, After serving short time at Fort Ad-
ans, Newport Harbor Lieut.. Burnside resign
ed, in 1868.
After his resignation, he turned his attention
to the manufacture of q breech-loading rife Of
his own invention, known as the Burnside
Rife,' project which resulted in pecuniary
loss, owing, it is said, to the double-dealings Of
the Secretary of War, Floyd, who after proms
ising Burnside that his rifle should be used by
inventor with whom he shared the spoils. Gen.
Burnside then sold his establishment to his
brother-in law, who has supplied quite num-
Der Of tine Burnside rifles to the present Ad-
ministration. Subsequently to this, he was
with Gen. Mcclellan, whom he has just super
seded, connected with the Illinois Central Rail-
road, holding the position Of President Of the
Land Office Department, While residing at
Bristol, Rhode Island, he married Miss Bishop,
an estimable lady of Providence, and removed
with her to Chicago, upon being appointed to
the Illinois Central He was also elected Ma
jor General of the Rhode Island Militia during
his sojourn at Bristol. Shortly after removing
to Chicago he was elected Treasurer of the
Central Railroad, and thereupon removed to
this city, from which he was summoned on the
outbreak of therevolution, by Governor Sprague
to assume the Colonelcy of the lst Rhode Island
Volunteers, which it may be mentioned, en-
passont, was armed with the Burnside Rifles"
This regiment, it is well known, did good SER
vice in the first battle of Bull Run, its Colonel
acting as Brigader>General of the second brig
ade, the second division. After this he was ap-
pointed Brigadier- General of Volunteers, his
commission being dated 9th August 1861. OF
the celebrated Burnside Expedition to North
Carolina, nothing need be said. It's results
are well known, and were even seen here, in
the hundreds of Rebel prisoners kept in caps
tivity on Governors Island fer many months,
until sent to Columbus, Ohio, to be exchanged.
At the battle of Antietam, in September last,
Gen. Burnside's corps d'armee performed
highly important part. 1t took the main road
to Sharpsburg to the left, and encountered the
most determined opposition in successfully e1'
ecuting its part of the general plan of the bat
tie. Gen. Burnside had to cross the bridge
over the Antietam Creek, and dislodge the enc
my, who where in strong force and position on
the opposite side Twice his army made an
attempt to cross, and twice it was repulsed,
with heavy loss, bu: TIE third attack led by the
General in person, was successful and the po-
sition was won, though at great sacrifice of
life. This was one of the most important acts
in the great Antietam tragedy. Iu October
last, Gen. Burnside was assigned to the general
charge Of the defenses Of Harper's Ferry, Just
recovered from the Rebels, after being surren.
dered by Col. Miles. The I'd and 18th army corps
were at the same time placed under his com-
mand. On Oct. 26, when the Army of the Po-
tomac began to move after its long inaction.
Gen. Burnside, with his I'd army corps, crossed
the Potomac in light marching order imned-
lately after PleasaDton's cavalry, and is now
in the advance, but it's brave leader is called to
other and more momentous duties, and We expect
that before long the country will be electrified
bv the news Of victory which is not defeat.
Gen. Burnside is a man Of very fine personal
appearance, rigid disciplinarian and thor
ough gentleman. His present rank is that,of
Major General of Volunteers. He is ninth on
the list and by virtue of his commission alone,
which is dated March l6, 1862, ranks all Ma
jor, Generals except Generals Banks, Dix, But
Ter, David Hunter, Edwin D. Morgan. Hitch.
cock, Grant and McDowell.-lN. Y. Tribune.
GEN BANKS ON THE CRIsIs.-The Forty.hrst
Massachusetts regiment escorted Gen. Banks
from Boston to New York, and was entertained
with a breakfast at the Astor House on Friday.
Gen. Banks was present and made long
speech, in which be chiefly dwelt On the part
New England had tskenin the war We make
a single extract:
As Yankee he was half inclined to talk, but
as q man of some varied experience he hesitat-
ed, for he thought the time to talk had not yet
come. The people of this land had not yet been