Major General Ambrose Burnside is best known for two things: his failures as a Civil War general and that facial hair.

But Burnside led a remarkable life both before and after the Civil War.

Matt Jones of the James A. Garfield National Historic Site put Burnside beneath the microscope during our Leaders & Legacies of the Civil War series. He discussed how:

• Burnside created a rifle so impressive that it was the third most popular carbine during the Civil War
• Burnside's innovations in firearms nearly ruined him
• Burnside befriended Otto von Bismarck during the Franco-Prussian war
• his former fiancee became a Confederate spy.

For more programs at Mentor Public Library, visit http://www.mentorpl.org