Howard Mather Burnham

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Burnham was sent to the 10th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and received a commission as a Second Lieutenant in command of the Fifth Artillery in the regular Union Army. He served impatiently for several months as a Union Army recruiting officer in Towanda, Philadelphia, New York, and Dubuque until he was ordered to Fort Hamilton in New York on garrison duty. He went to Washington, DC for an assignment as Aide-de-camp to his uncle Major General Joseph K. Mansfield, commander of the XII Corp of the Army of the Potomac, but before he had the chance to join his staff Gen. Mansfield was killed at the Battle of Antietam. After several months he was promoted to First Lieutenant and joined the 5th U.S. Light Artillery, Battery H of the Army of the Cumberland under General William Rosecrans. Shortly after taking command of Battery H, he had been appointed Chief of Artillery of the 1st division, 14th army corps and placed on the staff of Gen. Absalom Baird.

On the morning of September 19, 1863, Burnham was overseeing his artillery battery in the thick woods near Jay's Mill at the Battle of Chickamauga. With Confederate troops charging his position, he attempted to bring his horses forward to haul off the guns, but alert Confederates shot the animals as soon as they were within sight. With no chance of escape, he ordered his gunners to load their four 12-pound Napoleons with double-shotted canister. Battery H opened up as soon as the 18th Infantry skirmishers were clear, causing the Confederates to take cover. The 16th Infantrymen in front of the guns occupied a slightly lower elevation and saw the shells flying over their heads. But Battery H did not have much infantry support and enemy fire quickly shot down their gunners. Burnham was shot in the chest, mortally wounded. When his second in command, Lt. Joshua A. Fessenden, asked Burnham if he was hurt, he responded: "Not much, but save the guns!".

Lt. Fessenden had the following to say about the battle that day:

Lt. Fessenden had himself been shot in the hip, but he assumed command. Battery H was overrun but Lt. Fessenden successfully rallied his troops, recaptured his artillery, and even took one gun of the Confederates. Lt. Fessenden kept the field and brought off the pieces but without their caissons as these had to be abandoned through lack of horses. While the battle ranged on Burnham survived for another two hours. In addition to Burnham, 42 men in his unit were either killed or wounded and more than one-third of the horses were shot that day.

Gen. John King dispatched the following in his report:

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