James Burnett transferred from the Royal Artillery on the 1st of December 1853. No indication is given as to which particular unit of the Royal Artillery he had previously served in.
At the General Depot, Scutari from the 9th of September 1854, and sent to rejoin the regiment on the 3rd of October.
Sent again to Scutari on the 24th of December 1854, joining the Depot there on the 9th of January 1855.
Sent to England on the 23rd of March 1855. In the January-March quarter muster roll there is a comment in red ink, "To England" (but no date).
The Chatham Depot muster roll shows him as "Sent to Chichester", and no further trace of him can be found.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Balaclava, Inkerman and Sebastopol.
Lummis and Wynn state that he was also entitled to the clasp for the Alma, but the medal roll does not confirm this — it shows "At Scutari. 20th Sept."