Following the war, Burns was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army, eventually reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He also served in the Indian Wars and the Spanish–American War, until retiring due to disability in 1899.
He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Battle of New Market Virginia on May 15, 1864. "The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Sergeant James Madison Burns, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 15 May 1864, while serving with Company B, 1st West Virginia Infantry, in action at New Market, Virginia.
