Burnside [Hardcover]

William Marvel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1991

Ambrose Burnside, the Union general, was a major player on the Civil War stage from the first clash at Bull Run until the final summer of the war. He led a corps or army during most of this time and played important roles in various theaters of the war. But until now, he has been remembered mostly for his distinctive side-whiskers that gave us the term "sideburns" and as an incompetent leader who threw away thousands of lives in the bloody battle of Fredericksburg.

In a biography focusing on the Civil War years, William Marvel reveals a more capable Burnside who managed to acquit himself credibility as a man and a soldier. Along the Carolina coast in 1862, Burnside won victories that catapulted him to fame. In that same year, he commanded a corps at Antietam and the Army of the Potomac at Fredericksburg. In East Tennessee in the summer and fall of 1863, he captured Knoxville, thereby fulfilling one of Lincoln's fondest dreams. Back in Virginia during the spring and summer of 1864, he once again led a corps at the battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg. But after the fiasco of the Crater he was denied another assignment, and he resigned from the army the day that Lincoln was assassinated.

Marvel challenges the traditional evaluation of Burnside as a nice man who failed badly as a general. Marvel's extensive research indicates that Burnside was often the scapegoat of his superiors and his junior officers and that William B. Franklin deserves a large share of the blame for the Federal defeat at Fredericksburg. He suggests that Burnside's Tennessee campaign of 1863 contained much praiseworthy effort and shows during the Overland campaign from the Wilderness to Petersburg, and at the battle of the Crater, Burnside consistently suffered slights from junior officers who were confident that they could get away with almost any slur against "Old Burn." Although Burnside's performance included an occasional lapse, Marvel argues that he deserved far better treatment than he has received from his peers and subsequently from historians.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Union General Ambrose Burnside is the most maligned figure of the Civil War, according to the author of this first-rate biography. Accused of tactical lethargy during the battle of Antietam, Burnside then suffered a crushing defeat at Fredeno e?/sp. correct as given here.gs ricksburg and was later held partially responsible for the fiasco at Petersburg. Marvel ( The Horrid Pit: The Battle of the Crater ) notes that Burnside was no battlefield genius but argues persuasively that his performance at Antietam was equal to that of the other corps commanders, that he suffered an honorable defeat at Fredericksburg and that his operations in North Carolina and Tennessee contributed significantly to the Union victory. The book reveals how Burnside's humility and integrity, combined with his refusal to defend himself against his critics, made him vulnerable in the backbiting context of the Army of the Potomac's high command. A deeply researched and gracefully written biography of an important but overlooked Union leader, this account deserves the attention of Civil War buffs. Photos. History Book Club selection.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A workmanlike biography of the amiable Union general that unconvincingly argues that Burnside's poor military reputation was largely an undeserved product of vicious military gossip and his own naive humility. Marvel, author of two scholarly Civil War military histories, points out that Burnside, exercising independent command over small numbers of soldiers, enjoyed some important successes--for instance, his spectacular 1862 victory on the North Carolina shore, which cut off Confederate trade routes, and his 1863 defense of Knoxville, which contributed to the destruction of Bragg's army at Chattanooga. Marvel also persuasively argues that McClellan in the Antietam campaign, and Halleck during the battles of Fredericksburg and Chickamauga, unfairly castigated Burnside for lethargy, confused him by making deliberately unclear orders, and unjustly used him as a scapegoat for Union defeats. Burnside's mistakes were probably no worse than those of other Union generals--his costly frontal assaults at Fredericksburg, for example, were reminiscent of Grant's unsuccessful charges at Vicksburg and Cold Harbor. Nonetheless, Marvel cannot absolve Burnside of responsibility for the Fredericksburg disaster or for the sanguinary 1864 debacle at the Crater. Moreover, Burnside showed considerable hamhandedness in his actions as chief of the Department of Ohio (for instance, his arrest of the notorious Copperhead Clement Vallandigham for making an anti-Government speech presented the Lincoln Administration with a potentially embarrassing dilemma that Lincoln cleverly averted by sending Vallandigham across Confederate lines into the South). Marvel succeeds in portraying Burnside as an honest, patriotic, and likable man who conscientiously did his best. He does not, however, succeed in altering history's judgment of Burnside as a modest man with much to be modest about. A well-researched and thorough look at one of the Civil War's major figures. (Twenty-nine illustrations; 13 maps.) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 552 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press; First Printing edition (November 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807819832
• ISBN-13: 978-0807819838
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,272,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

WILLIAM MARVEL is the author of Lincoln's Darkest Year, Mr. Lincoln Goes to War, Lee's Last Retreat, Andersonville, and several other acclaimed books on the Civil War. He has won a Lincoln Prize, the Douglas Southall Freeman Award, and the Bell Award.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Researched & Presented Military Biography, January 15, 1999

By 

Aussie Reader ""Rick"" (Canberra, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burnside (Hardcover)

Ambrose Burnside may not be many people's favourite Civil War Commander but in this 1991 biography, the author, William Marvel, presents Burnside in a light previously not seen before. The Federal general comes across as a man who cared deeply for his men and was honest in his dealings with other commanders and his subordinates. The author presents his case that Burnside's reputation was tarnished by other Federal commanders who wished to pass on the blame of their failures to this man who would not publicly air his dissent. Examples given are General McClellan at Antietam, General William Franklin at Fredericksburg and Meade at the Wilderness and Petersburg. The author presents his case well and you start to feel that maybe Burnside was given the short end of the stick in a lot of cases. Burnside appears to be a patriotic soldier who was prepared to give everything to the cause regardless of the cost to himself and his reputation. Marvel offers references & notes to support his theory and although he tends to offer Burnside the benefit of the doubt most of the time I still came away feeling that Burnside probarly did not deserve all the negative media he has received in history. Overall this is a well researched and presented biography and although you may not agree with the author it's still a very well told story and a treat to read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest Picture od Naive Burnsides: Great Ideas and Failures, February 19, 2001

By 

Daniel Hurley (Chesapeake, VA.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Burnside (Hardcover)

This is a true honest work of a General who had some excellent ideas but was often too naive with initiating action or from truly evaluating his staff. He was politically inept in being aware of the political cabal of McClellanites that undermined his command of the Army of the Potomac and contributed to his failings at Fredericksburg. Marvel does an excellent job demonstrating Burnsides successes at Roanoke Island with amphibious landings, perhaps the first in American war, and his occupation of coastal N.C. Marvel explains that Burnsides beat Lee to Fredericksburg but was held back by Halleck's failure to organize the pontoon train needed to cross the Rappahannock. The author's most interesting part of the book is his explanation of Burnsides' battle plan at Fredericksburg and his misunderstanding of the terrain features of Marye's Heights. In addition, one of the cabal generals commanding the left wing failed to execute his flanking movement properly yet communicated success causing Burnsides to unleash full scale attacks on Marye's Heights. Another fascinating piece centers on Burnsides' plan of the "crater", blowing up a confederate section of line and exploiting the breach with specially trained African American units. Unfortunately, the plan was severely hindered by Grant's and Meade's last minute disallowance of the black units to execute the plan resulting in untrained units commanded by an intoxicated officer. In between Burnsides does well keeping Longstreet out of Tennessee but inflames Sherman by providing Sherman a feast upon his arrival. Sherman misunderstood the meal as evidence that Burnsides' needed no relief. Burnsides is depicted as a very intelligent man that invented a breech loaded rifle but was politically naive particularly that even his alleged friend, McClellan undermined him for his own purpose without Burnsides being aware of it. Hard to defend Burnsides' limited action on McClellan's left flank at Antietam where any early action could have resulted in defeat of Lee. Regardless that McClellan didn't not ask Burnsides to attack earlier but any initiative by Burnsides would have made for a different outcome. Also, if Burnsides was aware or more personally involved with the crater attack, he should have recognized that the officer in charge of the attack was unfit and when the attack was misdirected, perhaps organized a better follow-up of troops although Meade aborted support. One of the last McCellan's generals of the Army of the Potomac to resign, only Warren lasted longer until his encounter withh Sheridan. The book leaves one thinking that if Burnsides had just a little of Sheridan in him and a little less of Burnsides, he would have been more successful. From a biography standpoint, Burnsides seems to havea lot in common with Confederate Genenral Ewell whose failures were also more pronounced than his victories.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Suprisingly Complex Burnside, June 30, 2006

By 

Kevin M. Derby (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Burnside (Hardcover)

Ambrose Burnside remains famous for his staggering incompetence as a Civil War general and his facial hair. In this solid biography, William Marvel presents a more intriguing character than most Civil War buffs would think.

Marvel takes the reader through the various triumphs and defeats of Burnside's career. While not ignoring the disasters at Fredrciskburg and the Crater, Marvel does show that Burnside had some ability as his operations in North Carolina and, to a lesser extent, east Tennessee show. Marvel also does an excellent job in illuminating a number of the minor assignments that Burnside handled well, including his command in Ohio as well as his efforts at recruiting. Burnside's humanity comes through very clearly. Marvel does an excellent job of showing
how the Civil War transformed Burnside's thoughts on race. The prewar Jacksonian Democrat became a Republican as the nature of the war changed. Unlike his friend George McClellan, Burnside seemed to understand that the war had become about more than preserving the Union and started drifting along the same tide as others. The conservative who at the start of the war seemed willing to preserve slavery recognized that the institution of human bondage had to be ended with the Confederacy. Burnside, more than most Union generals, also appreciated the use of African-American soldiers. Marvel shows Burnside in a much more complex light than the caricature of an affable incompetent. Marvel also shows that Burnside had his own circle of subordinates and friends who remained loyal to their chief.

But the book has its flaws. While excellent on the war years, Marvel has little to say on Burnside's pre-war career inlcuding his friendship with George McClellan, his 1858 campaign for Congress and his failed attempt to produce rifles for the Army. Even more astonishing, Marvel has almost nothing to say about Burnside's important post-war political career. Burnside served three terms as governor of Rhode Island and was an important senator for seven years. Some of the more interesting stories which help humanize Burnside are burried in the endnotes (such as a funny tale of Burnside playfully whacking an aide over the head with a slipper).

Still, the book remains an excellent one and is of interest to any Civil War scholar. The book is also very readable. While a bit savage to McClellan, the author seems as affable as the subject; high praise indeed since Burnside's charitable nature comes through on almost every page.