Editing Ambrose Burnside (section)

==Early military career==

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. During his early tenure at the academy, a clerical error was made listing his middle name as Everett, rather than Everts. He graduated in 1847, ranking 18th in a class of 47, and was commissioned a [[brevet (military)|brevet]] [[US Second Lieutenant|second lieutenant]] in the 2nd U.S. Artillery. He traveled to [[Veracruz]] for the [[Mexican–American War]], but he arrived after hostilities had ceased and performed mostly garrison duty around [[Mexico City]].<ref name="ESWW">Eicher, pp. 155–56; Sauers, pp. 327–28; Warner, pp. 57–58; Wilson, np.</ref>

At the close of the war, Lt. Burnside served two years on the western frontier under Captain [[Braxton Bragg]] in the 3rd U.S. Artillery, a light artillery unit that had been converted to cavalry duty, protecting the Western mail routes through Nevada to California. In August 1849, he was wounded by an arrow in his neck during a skirmish against [[Apache]]s in [[Las Vegas, New Mexico]]. He was promoted to 1st lieutenant on December 12, 1851.

[[File:Mrs Ambrose Burnside, Mary Richmond Bishop.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Mrs. Burnside, Mary Richmond Bishop]]
In 1852, he was assigned to [[Fort Adams]], [[Newport, Rhode Island]], and he married Mary Richmond Bishop of [[Providence, Rhode Island]], on April 27 of that year.  The marriage lasted until Mary's death in 1876, but was childless.<ref name=EMW>Eicher, pp. 155–56; Mierka, np.; Warner, pp. 57–58.</ref>

In October 1853, Burnside resigned his commission in the [[United States Army]] and was appointed commander of the Rhode Island state militia with the rank of major general.  He held this position for two years.

After leaving the Regular Army, Burnside devoted his time and energy to the manufacture of a firearm that bears his name: the [[Burnside carbine]]. President [[James Buchanan|Buchanan's]] [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]] [[John B. Floyd]] contracted the Burnside Arms Company to equip a large portion of the Army with his carbine, mostly cavalry and induced him to establish extensive factories for its manufacture.  The [[Bristol, Rhode Island|Bristol]] Rifle Works were no sooner complete than another gunmaker allegedly bribed Floyd to break his $100,000 contract with Burnside.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}

Burnside ran as a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] for one of the Congressional seats in Rhode Island in 1858 and was defeated in a landslide.  The burdens of the campaign and the destruction by fire of his factory contributed to his financial ruin, and he was forced to assign his firearm patents to others. He then went west in search of employment and became treasurer of the [[Illinois Central Railroad]], where he worked for and became friendly with [[George B. McClellan]], who later became one of his commanding officers.<ref name=EMSW>Eicher, pp. 155–56; Mierka, np.; Sauers, pp. 327–28; Warner, pp. 57–58.</ref> Burnside became familiar with corporate attorney [[Abraham Lincoln]], future president of the United States, during this time period.<ref>[https://scholarship.law.missouri.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3272&context=mlr A. Lincoln, a Corporate Attorney and the Illinois Central Railroad]. Sandra K. Lueckenhoff, Missouri Law Review, Volume 61, Issue 2 Spring 1996. Accessed March 2021.</ref>