General Burnside was a good Union boy… and a poor general. The thing is? He recognized he was a poor general and way over his head, and often tried to reason with the people trying to promote him. Thing is, the Union was terribly strapped for officers with any serious experience, and a few times they threatened poor Burnside that if he didn’t take the promotion, they’d give it to some moron who would gleefully throw troops into the meat grinder and get thousands killed. Poor fellow!

He made a great carbine, though, and we still know sideburns today because of his name. o7