When I lived in Rhode Island, I was told that the fashion of a partial beard on the cheeks was named "Burnsides" from General Burnside, a civil war general from R.I., who may have initiated the fashion. My understanding is, that after a number of years, when he was no longer famous, people who heard the term "corrected" it to sideburns, which made more sense to them (but not to me), and that seems to be the usage today. I checked the dictionary, which does give each as meaning the same fashion. Can anyone confirm my story? Does anyone remember General B.?



Jerry