Burns akarayira Philadelphia Brigade kweinopfuura gore (Gumiguru 1861-Mbudzi 1862), kunyanya panguva yeMcClellan's Peninsular Campaign muchirimo uye muzhizha ra1862. Akatungamira brigade mune basa rakakosha muhondo yeSavage Station (June 29), chiitiko chekumashure chakarwa kuchengetedza Hondo yePotomac sezvo yakadzokera kuRichmond. Pasinei nokukuvadzwa nechiso chinorwadza, Burns neboka rake vakabudirira kudzinga kurwisa kweConfederate uye vakabvumira kubviswa kweMubatanidzwa kuti kuenderere mberi pasina kupindira. Boka rake rakatamba rimwe basa rakakosha muhondo yeGlendale zuva rakatevera, richidzivirira kurwisa kweConfederate iyo yakanga yatove yakadzinga rimwe divi reUnion, uye ichibatsira kudzivirira uto reUnion rakapetwa nepakati. Zvichida mupiro wake mukurusa kunhau wakaitika pakuvamba mumushandirapamwe; mukati mehondo yeFair Oaks
(May 31), Burns akanga arayira varume vake kuti vabatsire boka revarwi rakanga rapinzwa pabhiriji remapuranga rakanga risisina kugadzikana raiva pamusoro porwizi rwaiva rwazara mvura. Varume vaBurns vakabatsira kufambisa pfuti kubva pabhiriji uye kuburikidza nemadhaka kune rumwe rutivi, vachibvumira bhatiri kuti rive panzvimbo nenguva kuti riite basa rinokosha mukudzinga kurwisa kwekupedzisira kweConfederate kwezuva racho. Chinotonyanya kukosha ndechokuti, pfuti yakabhururwa nebhatiri iroro yakakuvadza zvakaipisisa mukuru mukuru weConfederate Joseph E. Johnston, uyo akatsiviwa pashure pehondo naRobert E. Lee.