Whakaotihia te rerenga e whai ake nei: I whakahau a Burns i te Philadelphia Brigade mo te neke atu i te kotahi tau (Oketopa 1861-Noema 1862), i te nuinga o te wa o te McClellan's Peninsular Campaign i te puna me te raumati o 1862. I arahina e ia te piritiata i roto i tetahi mahi nui i te pakanga o Savage Station (Hune 29), he mahi a muri-kaitiaki i whawhai ki te tiaki i te Ope o Potomac i a ia e hoki ana mai i Richmond. Ahakoa te whiu kino i te mata, i angitu a Burns me tana roopu ki te whakaeke i te whakaeke a te Rōpū me te tuku i te wehenga o te Uniana kia haere tonu me te kore e uru. I whai wāhi nui anō tana piritanga i te pakanga o Glendale i te rā i muri mai, i te whakaeke i tētahi whakaeke a te Rōpū i whakaeke i tētahi wehenga o te Kotahitanga, ā, i āwhina ki te ārai i te wehenga o te ope o te Kotahitanga i tapahia ki te haurua. Tērā pea ko tana takoha nui ki te hītori i puta i te tīmatanga o te pakanga; i te pakanga o
Fair Oaks (Mei 31), i whakahaua e Burns ana tangata ki te awhina i te paparanga patu i piri ki runga i te piriti papa i runga i te awa waipuke. I awhina nga tangata a Burns ki te neke i te pupuhi mai i te piriti me te paru i tera taha, kia taea ai te papahiko ki te wa tika ki te whai waahi nui ki te peia i te whakaeke Confederate whakamutunga o te ra. Ko te mea nui ake, ko te pupuhi i tukuna mai e taua papahiko i whara kino ai te Tiamana o te Rōpū a Joseph E. Johnston, i whakakapihia i muri i te pakanga e Robert E. Lee.