Background
Burnside was born on May 23, 1824, in Liberty, Indiana, United States and was the fourth of nine children of Edghill and Pamela (or Pamilia) Brown Burnside, a family of Scottish origin.
Burnside was born on May 23, 1824, in Liberty, Indiana, United States and was the fourth of nine children of Edghill and Pamela (or Pamilia) Brown Burnside, a family of Scottish origin.
Ambrose attended Liberty Seminary as a young boy, but his education was interrupted when his mother died in 1841; he was apprenticed to a local tailor, eventually becoming a partner in the business. He obtained an appointment to the United States Military Academy in 1843 through his father's political connections and his own interest in military affairs; Caleb Blood Smith recounted Burnside's brash application to the military academy.
Graduating from West Point in 1847, Burnside served in the United States Regular Army during the Mexican War and subsequent Indian campaigns. In 1853 he left the service and went into business as a manufacturer of firearms in Bristol. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Governor Sprague of Rhode Island commissioned Burnside to the command of a regiment of Union volunteers. He was rapidly elevated to the rank of major general and saw almost continuous action throughout the war. He was a handsome, imposing man and was popular with his troops, but he never attained greatness as a military leader. In the final analysis, the debacles that befell his commands far outweighed the successes. A Union disaster during the siege of Petersburg, blamed on Burnside, was investigated by a court of inquiry, and he resigned his commission. After the war he became a successful politician, serving three terms as governor of Rhode Island and finally becoming U. S. senator from that state. He died on September 13, 1881, in Bristol.
Personally, Burnside was always very popular, both in the army and in politics. He made friends easily, smiled a lot, and remembered everyone's name. His professional military reputation, however, was less positive, and he was known for being obstinate, unimaginative, and unsuited, both intellectually and emotionally for high command.
In 1852, he married Mary Richmond Bishop of Providence, Rhode Island. The marriage lasted until Mary's death in 1876, but it was childless.