This study examines the career of Union Brigadier General William Wallace
Burns, focusing on the circumstances surrounding his mysterious resignation of his
volunteer rank in March 1863, at the height of the Civil War. General Burns, a rising
star in the Army of the Potomac, seemingly assured of rapid promotion to major general,
relinquished his field rank and returned to his Regular Army rank of major in the
Commissary Department. Why would a well-regarded officer, not suffering from any
debilitating physical problems, choose to destroy his career in such a manner? General
Burns claimed in his personal letters that he was forced out through the duplicity of
Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. A War Department inquiry found no evidence to
support Burns?? allegation. This thesis, after a thorough examination of the subject,
offers a conclusion as to whether General Burns was wronged or if he was the victim of
his own paranoia.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/2351 |
| Date | 29 August 2005 |
| Creators | Ward, David Earl |
| Contributors | Dawson, Joseph G. |
| Publisher | Texas A&M University |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis, text |
| Format | 475118 bytes, electronic, application/pdf, born digital |
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