Education
Burnett graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1880.
Burnett graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1880.
On August 16, 1881, he was serving as a Second Lieutenant with the 9th Cavalry Regiment of the Buffalo Soldiers. On that day, Burnett participated in an engagement in the Cuchillo Negro Mountains of New Mexico, where he was cited for helping rescue stranded soldiers under heavy fire. He retired due to injuries in February 1891.
He subsequently served as a Colonel in the Iowa National Guard from 1892 until 1905.
Burnett served as United States Vice Consul and Acting Consul in Kehl, Baden, Germany from September 1905 to March 1907. He also worked at many military preparatory schools.