Biography

Civil War Figure. He was the only Gettysburg civilian to fight in the Battle of Gettysburg. Angry that the Confederates had driven off his cattle a few days before, he fought alongside the vaunted Iron Brigade in McPherson's Woods on the July 1, 1863 (the first day of the battle) and was wounded three times. He survived and met with President Abraham Lincoln in November 1863 when the President came to give his famous address. A statue commemorating John Burns was dedicated on July 1, 1903, and is located in the Gettysburg National Military Park on Stone Avenue, McPherson Ridge