#army of the potomac
General Ambrose Burnside(Union)
The undoubted master of American Civil War facial hair, Burnside’s distinctive whiskers were originally known as ‘burnsides’ which turned into 'sideburns’ over time.
His career as a general was rather less successful. He was given command of the Union’s Army of the Potomac after George McClellan was finally removed in November 1862. He’d previously refused the job believing himself not up to it, a low opinion of his abilities shared by others after the costly defeat at Fredericksburg the following month. Burnside soon resigned, although he remained in the Army. He later copped the blame for the high Union casualties during the disastrous Battle of the Crater outside Vicksburg in July 1864, and finished the war on extended leave.
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