General William Wallace Burns WIAA CDV view of Burns seated with this sword. At the Civil War’s outbreak, Burns narrowly escaped capture at Fort Smith, Arkansas. He served as chief commissary under General George B. McClellan in West Virginia and was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers in September 1861. Burns led the Philadelphia Brigade during the 1862 Peninsular Campaign, notably at Savage Station and Glendale, where he was wounded. His key contribution came at Fair Oaks, aiding an artillery battery that wounded Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston. Frustrated by a blocked promotion, Burns resigned his volunteer commission in 1863, reverting to his regular army rank of major. He served as chief commissary in various departments, retiring as a colonel in 1889. Burns died in 1892 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.