Burnside, Ambrose Everett (1824–1881)

US military leader and politician. Appointed brigadier general in the Union army soon after the outbreak of the Civil War 1861, he served briefly as commander of the Army of the Potomac, before being transferred to the West. He was governor of Rhode Island 1866–69 and a US Senator 1874–81.

His distinctive side whiskers and moustache framing a clean-shaven chin became popularly known as ‘burnsides’, of which ‘sideburns’ is a modification.

Burnside was born in Liberty, Indiana, and attended West Point military academy, but resigned his commission in 1853 and began manufacturing firearms. Three years later he invented a breech-loading rifle. During the Civil War, he succeeded George McClellan as commander of the Army of the Potomac. Blamed for losing 3,798 men during the siege of Petersburg, Virginia, in 1864, Burnside retired from active service.