A short puppet bio-pic chronicling the fame of Ambrose Burnside. From his failure as a Civil War General to his experimentation and innovation in the field of facial hair. It’s quite entertaining.
Ambrose Burnside: A True Story of Facial Hair
Get a Signed Copy of My Book ($25 Direct From Author)
"In this stunning and well-researched book, Kevin Levin catches the new waves of the study of memory, black soldiers, and the darker underside of the Civil War as well as anyone has... Levin is both superb scholar and public historian, showing us a piece of the real war that does now get into the books, as well as into site interpretation."
David Blight, Author of Race and Reunion
Previous post: At the Heart of the Black Confederate Matter
Next post: Blurbing the Crater
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Of course this ignores the 1862 Eastern NC campaign.
Get back to work, Emmanuel.
Yeah I know…I’m off but have to work today. From home, go in, from home again.
Anyway, yeah. I ruin everything fun.
One of the best facts I learned in 8th grade was about the connection between Burnside and those prodigious whiskers.
Clever video.
You think they could make a follow-up about General Hooker and the use to which his name has been put? If they used puppets, it’d still be safe for work and the kids, I think.
Ben
PS. Which, to be clear, I know is (unfortunately, ’cause it’s a great story) not the first use of the term:
http://historymyths.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/myth-85-prostitutes-were-so-common-around-gen-joseph-hookers-army-that-they-became-known-as-hookers/
But still, got popularized further here in the US thanks to good ol’ Joe. So I still vote for the follow-up video!
Actually old chap, Burnside was anticipated in whisker innovation by General the Earl of Cardigan, a British commander in the Crimean war. A man of many talents, not including military command, he gave his name (in the UK at least) to a knitted jacket (or sweater that buttons up the front). I don’t know what you call it in America. So his name wasn’t available for whiskers. Another British general in the Crimean war, Lord Lucan (not the murderer, his ancestor) developed even more amazing facial hair.