Evening journal., 1914-07-20
New News Of Yesterday
How Gen. Burnside Won
in Rhode Island
By Holland.

The late Col. Sabin L. Sayles, who
was for a time chairman Of the Re-
publican State Committee of Connec-
ticut and was the owner of large
wOOlen mills in Eastern Connecticut
and Rhode Island. and was a per-
sonal friend of Gen. Ambrose b.
Burnside He met Gen. Burnside
very often at the time of the organi-
zation of the First Regiment of Rhode
Island Infantry. in April, 1851 Or
that regiment Gen. Burnside was
colonel. Col Sayles, in the early
sixties. was a citizen of Rhode Island
who possessed a great deal OF iniiu-
ence.
Shortly after Gen. Burnside was
elected United States Senator from
Rhode Island as the successor OF
Senator William Sprague, | asked
Col. Sayles If Gen. Burnside was
native son of Rhode Island, wonder
ing whether that did not in part eX-
plain the great popularity which
Burnside had gained in that State.
"Oh, no. Col. Sayles replied, q
don't think he was ever in Rhode Is
land until shortly after President
Lincoln called for $4,000 volunteers
in April, 1861. There is a very in
teresting story descriptive of the
manner in which Burnside went to
Rhode Island. I have heard it often,
and I have no doubt OF the substan-
tial truth of it.
HE was, l think, a native of In
dIana, and I have been told that when
he was a boy he was apprenticed to
q tailor. The Congressman who re-
presented his district learned Of the
boy and found that he was a very
bright youngster He therefore Of
fcredo to send him to West Point and
the boy was very glad Of the Oppor-
tunity.
while Burnside was at West Point
and afterward when he was in the
regular army he made up his mind
that there could be a great improve
ment in the muskets, which were
muzzle-loading guns with which the
army was equipped. He was a good
mechanic and he worked away at q
plan for making a musket which
could be loaded at the breech
think he got some of his friends
financially interested in this plan. but
he was himself personally respOn.
sible. He could not get the War De.
partment at Washington TO adopt the
gun, and he found himself ruined
financially. That was n few year:
before the beginning of the civil war
"In some way. William Sprague
who was governor of Rhode Island
when the war broke out. and who
proposed to go into the field himself
&C the head of the Rhode Island bri
gade. had either heard of or seer
Burnside's gun. The governor haC
also been told that after the failur,
OF his company, Burnside went t.
work somewhere in the West anC
saved every dollar he could. so tha
at last ne was able to pay all his
debts.
THAT seemed TO Gov. Sprague {,
/ be the kind of man he wanted for tn,
command of the First Rhode islam,
Regiment. especially as Burnside wa
q West Point friend of his.
Therefore. Gov. Sprague put him
self I'M communication with Burnsid
and offered him command of tn
First Rhode Island Regiment. Th
offer was instantly accepted, an,
7 i'uih ihoiub Edlhtu SItdl EtpuldtlOu 10
the manner in which he handled tn
Rhode Island troops at the battle o
Bull Run. Then. too, the cut of hi
whiskers gave him a national no
toriety and gave a Burnside
TO that kind of beard which il
nothing in the world but the old-fas
hioned side whiskers.
at was not so much his militar,
reputation as Il was a certain kindly
gentle, unassuming, democratic man
ner which gained for Burnside tn
great popularity which he secured il
Rhode Island, and was reflected il
his unanimous nomination for cover
nor and almost unanimous election
the year after the war closed.
think I am safe in saying that fron
1861 until the present time Burnsid
has been the most popular man Il
the State Of Rhode Island"
Copyright, 1914, by T. J. Ed
wards. All rights reserved).
Tomorrow Mr. Edwards will tel
CT "a Practical JotSe IN a Man n