John Burns honorable?

[James N.]

He must've been honorable - after all, he has his very own statue at Gettysburg!

 

[Yankeedave]

Two stories on John Burns from find a grave:
"John Burns, over seventy years of age, a resident of Gettysburg, fought throughout the battle of the first day, and was wounded no less than five times - the last shot taking effect in his ankle, wounding him severely. He came up to Col. Wister, in the thickest of the fight, shook hands with him, and said he came to help. He was dressed in his best, consisting of a light blue swallow-tailed coat, with brass buttons, corduroy pantaloons, and a stove-pipe hat, of considerable height, all of ancient pattern, and doubtless an heirloom in the house. He was armed with a regulation musket. He loaded and fired unflinchingly until the last of his five wounds brought him down. He will recover. His little cottage was burned by the rebels. A purse of a hundred dollars has been sent to him from Germantown. Brave John Burns."

From the newspaper "The Franklin Repository", Chambersburg, Pa., dated Aug. 12, 1863, page 3, Col. 1
David M. Myers on 1 Oct 2000

"Burns was wounded in his arm, thigh and leg. As the outnumbered and overwhelmed Union force retreated through Gettysburg, they left Burns lying on the ground for dead. He lay there until the next day when Confederates found him and took him home. He told them he was wounded while searching for stray cows."

 

[ErnieMac]

I voted for honorable old man, but can't rule out grandpa.

I'm sure if you went thru local histories in the south, you'd find more than a few instances of folks defending their homes even if they weren't in uniform.

 

[mofederal]

Turchin is buried across the river from in the Mound City National Cemetery as is his wife. At least he wasn't buried in his wife's front yard like some other Civil War officer. He is definitely an odd story, much stranger than fiction. I like the Burns story. He was a hero to many in the nation no matter or who he was. He did say some controversial things about another resident of Gettysburg, and it is backed up by some other sources.

 

[James N.]

Turchin is buried across the river from in the Mound City National Cemetery as is his wife. At least he wasn't buried in his wife's front yard like some other Civil War officer. He is definitely an odd story, much stranger than fiction. I like the Burns story. He was a hero to many in the nation no matter or who he was. He did say some controversial things about another resident of Gettysburg, and it is backed up by some other sources.

Turchin was called The Russian Thunderbolt in an article about him in the old Civil War Times.