Howard Mather Burnham

Howard Mather Burnham
Lt. Howard M. Burnham
Born	(1842-03-17)March 17, 1842 Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Died	September 19, 1863(1863-09-19) (aged 21) Chickamauga, Georgia
Buried	Longmeadow cemetery, Longmeadow, Massachusetts,
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Service/branch	Union Army
Years of service	1861–1863 (USA)
Rank	First Lieutenant
Commands held	5th U.S. Light Artillery, Battery H
Battles/wars	American Civil War: Battle of Chickamauga

Lt. Howard Mather Burnham (March 17, 1842 – September 19, 1863), is best known for having fought and died at the Battle of Chickamauga in Georgia, during the American Civil War.

Burnham attended a military high school in Hamden, Connecticut and upon graduation he attended Sanborn's school in Concord, Massachusetts and Lawrence scientific school (now known as Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Soon after the Massachusetts Volunteers were attacked in Baltimore, Maryland, he enlisted in the Springfield City Guards on April 19, 1861.

Burnham was sent to the 10th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and received a commission as a Second Lieutenant in command of the Fifth Artillery in the regular Union Army. He served impatiently for several months as a Union Army recruiting officer in Towanda, Philadelphia, New York, and Dubuque until he was ordered to Fort Hamilton in New York on garrison duty. He went to Washington, DC for an assignment as Aide-de-camp to his uncle Major General Joseph K. Mansfield, commander of the XII Corp of the Army of the Potomac, but before he had the chance to join his staff Gen. Mansfield was killed at the Battle of Antietam. After several months he was promoted to First Lieutenant and joined the 5th U.S. Light Artillery, Battery H of the Army of the Cumberland under General William Rosecrans. Shortly after taking command of Battery H, he had been appointed Chief of Artillery of the 1st division, 14th army corps and placed on the staff of Gen. Absalom Baird.