Ambrose Everett Burnside (May 23, 1824 - September 13, 1881) was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a US Senator. As a Union Army general in the American Civil War, he conducted successful campaigns in North Carolina and East Tennessee but was defeated in the disastrous Battle of Fredericksburg and Battle of the Crater. He was always very popular both in the army and in politics. He made friends easily, smiled a lot, and remembered everyone's name. His professional military reputation, however, was less positive, and he was known for being obstinate, unimaginative, and unsuited both intellectually and emotionally for high command. He twice refused command of the Army of the Potomac, only accepting when told that the command would otherwise go to Joseph Hooker. His distinctive style of facial hair is now known as sideburns, derived from his last name. He died suddenly in 1881 at the age of 57 of neuralgia of the heart (Angina pectoris).