General Ambrose Burnside CDV Ambrose Burnside's military career, though marked by periods of success, ultimately ended in controversy during the Civil War. He began his career as a West Point graduate and served in the Mexican-American War, resigning from the army in 1853 to pursue his own inventions, notably the Burnside Carbine. At the start of the Civil War, Burnside organized the 1st Rhode Island Infantry, leading them to victory in the North Carolina Expedition and earning him the rank of major general. Slightly clipped corners. Back marked E & HT Anthony, Brady’s National Portrait Gallery, New York.