Hiram Burnham (1814 – September 29, 1864) was an officer in the Union Army who commanded a

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

and then a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

in the Eastern Theater of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He was killed in battle while assaulting

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

positions near

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, during the

Battle of Chaffin's Farm A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

Early life and career

Hiram Burnham was born in Narraguagus, later

Cherryfield, Maine Cherryfield is a town in Washington County, Maine, United States on the Narraguagus River. It was named for the wild cherries that once peppered the banks of the river. The town population was 1,107 at the 2020 census. The town bills itself as th ...

, in 1814. He formed and led a

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

company as its

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the

Aroostook War The Aroostook War (sometimes called the Pork and Beans WarLe Duc, Thomas (1947). The Maine Frontier and the Northeastern Boundary Controversy. ''The American Historical Review'' Vol. 53, No. 1 (Oct., 1947), pp. 30–41), or the Madawaska War, w ...

of 1839. He subsequently worked as a lumberman and owned a sawmill. Active in local politics, he held public office as a

county commissioner A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the County (United States)#County government, county government in some U.S. state, states of ...

and a

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

. Burnham is described as a burly man with a strong voice, able to make himself heard on a battlefield. He was born in Machias, Maine the son of John & Elizabeth (Libby) Burnham. He moved to Cherryfield in the early 1830s.

Civil War

Service in the Army of the Potomac

Early in the war Burnham became lieutenant colonel of the 6th Maine Infantry on July 16, 1861. He was promoted to the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

on December 12 of that year. He served with the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

in the

Peninsula Campaign The Peninsula campaign (also known as the Peninsular campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March to July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The oper ...

, starting out in Brig. Gen.

Winfield S. Hancock Winfield Scott Hancock (February 14, 1824 – February 9, 1886) was a United States Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service ...

's brigade in a division of the

IV Corps 4 Corps, 4th Corps, Fourth Corps, or IV Corps may refer to: France * 4th Army Corps (France) * IV Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * IV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperi ...

under Brig. Gen. William F. Smith. This division later became part of the

VI Corps 6 Corps, 6th Corps, Sixth Corps, or VI Corps may refer to: France * VI Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry formation of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VI Corps (Grande Armée), a formation of the Imperial French army dur ...

. At the

Battle of Crampton's Gap The Battle of Crampton's Gap, or Battle of Burkittsville, was fought between forces under Confederate States Army, Confederate Brigadier General (CSA), Brig. Gen. Howell Cobb and Union Army, Union Major general (United States), Maj. Gen. Willi ...

and the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgi ...

, Burnham led his regiment in the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, VI Corps under Hancock. He led the same regiment under Brig. Gen. Calvin E. Pratt at the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat between the Union Army, Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Major general ( ...

, where the brigade was only lightly engaged. In 1863, a "Light Division" of VI Corps, composed of five regiments, was organized under General Pratt. It was to be able to move rapidly. Instead of wagons, supplies were to be carried on mules. However, Pratt resigned his post and Burnham led the division from May 3 to May 11, including at the

Second Battle of Fredericksburg The Second Battle of Fredericksburg, also known as the Second Battle of Marye's Heights, took place on May 3, 1863, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, as part of the Chancellorsville Campaign of the American Civil War. Background Confederate Gen. R ...

, where he was wounded, temporarily relinquishing command. The Light Division was among the first VI Corps units to cross the

Rappahannock River The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 It traverses the enti ...

on May 1, 1863 to draw Confederate attention away from the main crossing points of the Army of the Potomac upstream. The Light Division made up the rightmost column in Maj. Gen.

John Sedgwick John Sedgwick (September 13, 1813 – May 9, 1864) was an American military officer who served as a Union Army general during the American Civil War. He was wounded three times at the Battle of Antietam while leading his division in an unsucces ...

’s attack on Marye’s Heights on May 3. Although Burnham spoke "cheerfully" to his troops before they attacked, casualties were heavy — an estimated 30%. Burnham's Light Division was the right flank anchor of Sedgwick's line when VI Corps stood on the defensive during the later stages of the

Battle of Salem Church The Battle of Salem Church, and the Battle of Banks' Ford took place on May 3 and 4 respectively, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, as part of the Battle of Chancellorsville, Chancellorsville Campaign of the American Civil War. Backgroun ...

. Only lightly engaged, Burnham was able to send two regiments to help repel a Confederate attack on the left flank. The 6th Maine of Burnham's command was one of the rearguard units when the corps retreated across the

. The Light Division was dissolved after the

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Confederate General Robert E. Lee's risky decision to divide h ...

, and Burnham's regiment joined the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, VI Corps under Brig. Gen. David Allen Russell. In that capacity he was present in reserve behind

Little Round Top Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania—the companion to the adjacent, taller hill named Big Round Top. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left ...

at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

. A monument to the regiment stands on Howe Avenue behind the Round Top.

Service in the Army of the James

Burnham was absent from Russell’s brigade at the beginning of the

Overland Campaign The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, towards the end of the American Civil War. Lieutenant general (United States), Lt. G ...

. Having been promoted to the rank of brigadier general on April 26, 1864, he was assigned command of a brigade in the first Division of the XVIII Corps,

Army of the James The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia. History The Union Department ...

on April 28 of that year. General Burnham led the brigade until July 31, and then again from September 27 to September 29 during the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the siege of Petersburg, it was not a c ...

. He commanded the 1st Division briefly in between. Burnham was killed at the

on September 29, 1864. His brigade had routed Confederate

skirmishers Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They may be deployed in a skirmish line, an irreg ...

from a cornfield on the Varina Road and pursued toward the Confederate earthworks. In preparation for the planned assault on

Fort Harrison Fort Harrison, later renamed Fort Burnham, was an important component of the Confederate defenses of Richmond during the American Civil War. Named after Lieutenant William Harrison, a Confederate engineer,Hannings, p. 566 it was the largest in th ...

, the division’s commander, Brig. Gen. George J. Stannard, deployed Burnham’s brigade in the front of his column. Burnham was hit in the intestines by a bullet shortly after his brigade penetrated into the fort. He died shortly thereafter.Sommers, pp. 38, 43-46, 52. General Burnham was buried in Pine Grove Cemetery (44°35'48.75"N, 67°55'10.52"W) in Cherryfield, Maine. The U.S. Army renamed the captured Fort Harrison as Fort Burnham in his honor.

Notes

References

* Bigelow, John, Jr., ''The Campaign of Chancellorsville: A Strategic and Tactical Study'', Norwalk, CT: The Eaton Press, 1991. * Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, * Mundy, James H., ''No Rich Men's Sons: The Sixth Maine Volunteer Infantry'', Cape Elizabeth (Me.): Harp Publications, 1994. * Parsons, Philip W., "The Union Sixth Army Corps in the Chancellorsville Campaign", Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2006. * Sears, Stephen W., ''Chancellorsville'', Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1996. * Sommers, Richard J., ''Richmond Redeemed: The Siege at Petersburg'', Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1981. * Warner, Ezra J., ''Generals in Blue'', Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, (2006). * Winslow, Richard Elliott, ''General John Sedgwick: The Story of a Union Corps Commander'', Presidio Press 1982 (Diss. University of Pennsylvania, 1970). * Swartz, Brian (2022-01-25). "Fallen Leaders: The Grizzly sensed death". ''Emerging Civil War'' Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burnham, Hiram Union army generals People of Maine in the American Civil War Union military personnel killed in the American Civil War 1814 births 1864 deaths County commissioners in Maine People from Washington County, Maine 19th-century American politicians

Early life and career

Civil War

Service in the Army of the Potomac

Service in the Army of the James

See also

Notes

References