Editing Ambrose Burnside (section)

===North Carolina===
Burnside commanded the Coast Division or [[Burnside's North Carolina Expedition|North Carolina Expeditionary Force]] from September 1861 until July 1862, three brigades assembled in [[Annapolis, Maryland]], which formed the nucleus for his future [[IX Corps (Union Army)|IX Corps]]. He conducted a successful [[amphibious warfare|amphibious]] campaign that closed more than 80% of the North Carolina sea coast to [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] shipping for the remainder of the war. This included the [[Battle of Elizabeth City]], fought on February 10, 1862, on the [[Pasquotank River]] near [[Elizabeth City, North Carolina]].{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}

The participants were vessels of the [[United States Navy]]'s [[Union blockade|North Atlantic Blockading Squadron]] opposed by vessels of the Confederate Navy's [[Mosquito Fleet]]; the latter were supported by a shore-based battery of four guns at Cobb's Point (now called Cobb Point) near the southeastern border of the town. The battle was a part of the campaign in North Carolina that was led by Burnside and known as the [[Burnside Expedition]]. The result was a Union victory, with Elizabeth City and its nearby waters in their possession and the Confederate fleet captured, sunk, or dispersed.<ref name=Mierka>Mierka, np.</ref>

Burnside was promoted to [[Major general (United States)|major general]] of volunteers on March 18, 1862, in recognition of his successes at the battles of [[Battle of Roanoke Island|Roanoke Island]] and [[Battle of New Bern (1862)|New Bern]], the first significant Union victories in the [[Eastern Theater of the American Civil War|Eastern Theater]]. In July, his forces were transported north to [[Newport News, Virginia]], and became the IX Corps of the Army of the Potomac.<ref name=ESWW/>

Burnside was offered command of the Army of the Potomac following Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's failure in the [[Peninsula Campaign]].<ref>Marvel, pp. 99–100.</ref> He refused this opportunity because of his loyalty to McClellan and the fact that he understood his own lack of military experience, and detached part of his corps in support of Maj. Gen. [[John Pope (general)|John Pope]]'s [[Army of Virginia]] in the [[Northern Virginia Campaign]]. He received telegrams at this time from Maj. Gen. [[Fitz John Porter]] which were extremely critical of Pope's abilities as a commander, and he forwarded on to his superiors in concurrence. This episode later played a significant role in [[Court-martial of Fitz John Porter|Porter's court-martial]], in which Burnside appeared as a witness.<ref>Marvel, pp. 209–10.</ref>

Burnside again declined command following Pope's debacle at [[Second Battle of Bull Run|Second Bull Run]].<ref name=SW>Sauers, pp. 327–28; Wilson, np.</ref>