Explore the major historical events, famous births, and notable deaths that occurred in the year 1862. This year saw 153 significant events. 5 notable figures were born. 4 notable figures passed away.
First Legal Tender Act of 1862 is passed by US Congress, authorizing the United States note (greenback) into circulation, the first fiat paper money that is legal tender in America
First pasteurization test is completed by Frenchmen Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard
Chemist Dmitri Mendeleev (28) weds Feozva Nikitichna Leshcheva at Nikolaev Engineering Institute's church in Saint Petersburg, Russia
Union Grounds was a baseball park located in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York. The grounds opened in 1862, its inaugural match being played on May 15.
Belgian-French engineer Étienne Lenoir builds the first automobile with an internal-combustion engine
US President Abraham Lincoln signs into law the Homestead Act to provide cheap land for the settlement of the American West (80 million acres by 1900)
The American state of Virginia became a prominent part of the Confederacy when it joined during the American Civil War.
Slavery is outlawed in US territories
The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War.
The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War.
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), which was...
Future Queen of Hawaii Lili'uokalani (24) weds American secretary John Owen Dominis (29) until his death in 1891
Battle of Antietam [Battle of Sharpsburg]: Bloodiest day in the American Civil War with 22,000 dead, wounded, or missing in the first major battle on Union soil
US President Abraham Lincoln issues the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, threatening to free all enslaved people in the rebel Southern states if those states fail to rejoin the Union by January 1, 1863 [1]
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck-Schönhausen; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898) was a German statesman and...
Russian novelist and author of "War and Peace" Leo Tolstoy (34) marries Sophia Andreevna Behrs (18) daughter of a physician in Moscow, Russia until his death in 1910
Minister-President of Prussia Otto von Bismarck delivers his famous "Blood and Iron" speech on the unification of German territories
Richard Jordan Gatling (September 12, 1818 – February 26, 1903) was an American inventor.
40,000 people watch Union Army soldiers play baseball at Hilton Head, South Carolina
The first petroleum shipment (1,329 barrels) from the U.S. to Europe arrives at Victoria Docks, London, England aboard the Elizabeth Watts
The Battle of Middle Creek was an engagement fought January 10, 1862, in Eastern Kentucky during the American Civil War. It was the only battle personally commanded by future president James A.
The Hartley Colliery disaster (also known as the Hartley Pit disaster or Hester Pit disaster) was a coal mining accident in Northumberland, England, that occurred on 16 January 1862 and resulted in...
-Jan 22nd) BBT Ft Henry, Tennessee by USS Lexington
The Territory of Arizona, commonly known as the Arizona Territory, was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the...
The Battle of Mill Springs, also known as the Battle of Fishing Creek in the Confederacy, and the Battle of Logan's Cross Roads or Battle of Somerset in the Union, was fought in Wayne and Pulaski...
Confederate government raises premium for volunteers from $10 to $20
Agoston Haraszthy, the first vintner in Sonoma Valley, California, imports 10,000 grapevine cuttings
Romanian principality arises under King Alexander Cuza. Bucharest proclaimed its capital.
An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship protected by steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s.
Astronomer Alvan Graham Clark makes first observation of Sirius B (first known white dwarf star) in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts while testing his new telescope
The "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is an American patriotic song written by the abolitionist writer Julia Ward Howe during the American Civil War. Howe adapted her song from the soldiers' song "John...
American Civil War: Naval engagement on Tennessee River, USS Conestago vs CSS Appleton Belle
The opening phase of what came to be called the Burnside Expedition, the Battle of Roanoke Island was an amphibious operation of the American Civil War, fought on February 7–8, 1862, in the North...
Battle of Roanoke Island NC, Federals gain control of Pamlico Sound
Dutch 2nd government of Thorbecke forms
Julius Benedict and Dion Boucicault's opera "Lily of Killarney" premieres at Convent Garden in London
-Feb 16th) Siege of Ft Donelson, Tennessee
An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship protected by steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s.
Grant's major assault on Ft Donelson, Tennessee
Battle of Woodburn, Kentucky
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), which was...
Union troops under Brigadier General Wright occupy Fernandina, Florida (US Civil War)
The Battle of Pea Ridge (March 7–8, 1862), also known as the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, took place during the American Civil War near Leetown, northeast of Fayetteville, Arkansas.
US Civil War: Battle of Pea Ridge (aka Elkhorn Tavern) (Arkansas), Day 2, Confederate Generals Ben McCulloch & James McIntosh killed
The First Battle of Newtonia was fought on September 30, 1862, between Confederate soldiers commanded by Colonel Douglas H.
The Battle of Hampton Roads, also referred to as the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack or the Battle of Ironclads, was a naval battle during the American Civil War. The battle was fought over two...
Great Britain & France recognise independence of Zanzibar
Battle of New Bern North Carolina: General Burnside conquers New Bern
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862.
San Marino & Italy conclude treaty of friendship & cooperation
Battle of Kernstown Virginia, Jackson begins his Valley Campaign
Battle of La Glorieta Pass, New Mexico Territory (Apache Canyon, Pigeon's Ranch)
Skirmish at Bealeton Station, Virginia
The Battle of Island Number Ten was an engagement at the New Madrid or Kentucky Bend on the Mississippi River – forming the border between Missouri and Tennessee – during the American Civil War,...
Jackson's Valley campaign, also known as the Shenandoah Valley campaign of 1862, was Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas J.
Peninsular Campaign, launched in southeastern Virginia, aimed at capturing Richmond during US Civil War begins, Confederate victory (US Civil War)
Siege of Yorktown, fought in York County and Newport News, Virginia ends (Yorktown campaign), inconclusive result (US Civil War)
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862.
John D. Lynde patents aerosol dispenser
Fort Pulaski National Monument is located on Cockspur Island between Savannah and Tybee Island, Georgia.
James J. Andrews (1829 – June 7, 1862) was a Kentucky civilian who worked for the Union Army during the early years of the American Civil War.
Battle of Fort Pillow, Tennessee
The Confederate Conscription Acts, 1862 to 1864, were a series of measures taken by the Confederate government to procure the manpower needed to fight the American Civil War. The First Conscription...
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana.
Congress establishes US Mint in Denver, Colorodo
,000 federal troops prepare to march into Corinth, Mississippi
The Northern Virginia Campaign, also known as the Second Bull Run Campaign or Second Manassas Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during August and September 1862 in the Eastern...
The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of...
Battle of West Point, Virginia at Eltham's Landing, Barnhamsville
The Peninsula campaign (also known as the Peninsular campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March to July 1862, the first large-scale...
Battle of Farmington, Mississippi
The Battle of Plum Point Bend took place in Tennessee during the American Civil War on May 10, 1862, on the Mississippi River, between ships of the Confederate River Defense Fleet and the Union...
CSS Virginia was the first steam-powered ironclad warship built by the Confederate States Navy during the first year of the American Civil War.
The Battle of Baton Rouge was a ground and naval battle in the American Civil War fought in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, on August 5, 1862.
Adolphe Nicole of Switzerland patents the chronograph
-May 17] Battle of Princeton, West Virginia
Battle of Princeton West Virginia, ends with about 128 causalities
Beardslee field telegraph used for 1st time
The Battle of Hanover Court House, also known as the Battle of Slash Church, took place on May 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. On...
Battle of Booneville MS - captured Gen Beauregard evacuates Corinth
The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the...
2nd/last day of battle at Fair Oaks/7 Pines Virginia (11,165 casualties)
The Raid on Chambersburg, often identified as J.E.B. Stuart's Chambersburg Raid, was a Confederate States Army cavalry raid into Maryland and Pennsylvania on October 10–12, 1862 during the American...
The Battle of Fort Pillow, also known as the Fort Pillow Massacre, was fought on April 12, 1864, at Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River in Henning, Tennessee, during the American Civil War.
The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or the South, was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States from 1861 to...
Skirmish at Union Church, Virginia (Peninsular)
The Battle of Cross Keys was fought on June 8, 1862, in Rockingham County, Virginia, as part of Confederate Army Maj. Gen. Thomas J.
Barbu Catargiu was a conservative Romanian politician and journalist. He was the first Prime Minister of Romania, in 1862, until he was assassinated on 8 June that year.
Battle of Oak Grove, Virginia (Orchard, Henrico, French's Field) (Kings's Schoolhouse) Day 1 of 7 Days
The Battle of Gaines' Mill, also known as the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles which together decided the...
-28] Battle at Garnett's/Golding's Farms, Virginia
The Battle of Garnett's and Golding's Farms took place June 27–28, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War's Peninsula Campaign.
The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the...
The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E.
Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States.
Skirmish at Devall's Bluff, Arkansas (106 casualties)
Land Grant Act endows state colleges with federal land
Theodore R. Timby is granted a US patent for discharging guns in a revolving turret, using electricity
During the American Civil War, Arkansas was a Confederate state, though it had initially voted to remain in the Union.
Battle of Murfreesboro, fought in Rutherford County, Tennessee begins (Forrest's Raid), Confederate victory (US Civil War)
CSS Arkansas vs. USS Carondelet and Queen of the West engage at the Yazoo River
The Newburgh Raid was a successful raid by Confederate partisans on Newburgh, Indiana, on July 18, 1862, making it the first town in a northern state to be captured during the American Civil War.
Guerrilla campaign in Georgia (Porter's & Poindexter's) [->SEP 20]
Henry Wager Halleck (January 16, 1815 – January 9, 1872) was a senior United States Army officer, scholar, and lawyer.
Massive typhoon hits Canton and Whampoa in China, killing at least 40,000 people
The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or the South, was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States from 1861 to...
American Civil War: Confederate spy Belle Boyd is arrested by Union troops and detained at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C.
The Battle of Baton Rouge was a ground and naval battle in the American Civil War fought in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, on August 5, 1862.
CSS Arkansas was the lead ship of her class of two casemate ironclads built for the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War.
Battle of Cedar Mountain (Slaughter's Mountain), fought in Culpeper County, Virginia, results in a Confederate victory (US Civil War)
The Nueces Massacre, also known as the Massacre on the Nueces and the Battle of Nueces, was a violent confrontation between Confederate soldiers and Unionist Texas Germans on August 10, 1862, in...
Edmund Kirby Smith (May 16, 1824 – March 28, 1893) was a Confederate States Army general, who oversaw the Trans-Mississippi Department (comprising Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, western Louisiana,...
The Vienna Stadtpark, the first public park and garden in Vienna, Austria, opens its gates
The First Battle of Rappahannock Station, (also known as Waterloo Bridge, White Sulphur Springs, Lee Springs, and Freeman's Ford) as took place on August 23, 1862, at present-day Remington, Virginia,...
Skirmish at Big Hill, Kentucky (two Federal regiments)
US Secretary of War authorizes Gen. Rufus Saxton to arm 5,000 enslaved people
Manassas National Battlefield Park is a unit of the National Park Service located in Prince William County, Virginia, United States, north of Manassas.
Battle of Altamont: Confederates defeat Union forces in Tennessee
Battle at Chantilly (Ox Hill) Virginia (2100 casualties)
Battle at Crampton's Gap: Union troops win a tactical victory over Confederate forces
Confederates conquer Union-weapon arsenal at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Kentucky was a southern border state of key importance in the American Civil War. It officially declared its neutrality at the beginning of the war, but after a failed attempt by Confederate General...
American Civil War: The Allegheny Arsenal explosion results in the single largest civilian disaster during the war; 78 workers killed
The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy)...
-20] US Civil War: Battle at Blackford's Ford, Virginia begins
The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly June 1865, during the American Civil War.
Nashville is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, located on the Cumberland River.
The First Battle of Newtonia was fought on September 30, 1862, between Confederate soldiers commanded by Colonel Douglas H.
The Second Battle of Corinth (which, in the context of the American Civil War, is usually referred to as the Battle of Corinth, to differentiate it from the siege of Corinth earlier the same year)...
The siege of Corinth, also known as the first battle of Corinth, was an American Civil War engagement lasting from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi.
The Army of the West was a field army of the Confederate States in the Trans-Mississippi and Western theaters of the American Civil War.
The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland...
Baseballer James Creighton ruptures bladder hitting HR, dies 10/18
Battle of Leetown and Thoroughfare Gap, VA
Kentucky was a southern border state of key importance in the American Civil War. It officially declared its neutrality at the beginning of the war, but after a failed attempt by Confederate General...
Amnesty is proclaimed for escaped slaves of Suriname
The Battle of Old Fort Wayne, also known as Maysville, Beattie's Prairie, or Beaty's Prairie, was an American Civil War battle on October 22, 1862, in Delaware County in what is now eastern...
Battle until the 5th November between gunboats at Bayou Teche, a waterway in Louisiana
New York-San Francisco direct telegraphic link forms
George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American military officer, politician, and engineer who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey from 1878 to 1881 and as...
Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American military officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War.
The Battle of Prairie Grove was a battle of the American Civil War fought on December 7, 1862.
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.
Battle of Kinston, fought in Lenoir County, North Carolina begins (Goldsboro Expedition), Union victory (US Civil War)
Kingdom of Nepal accepts its constitution
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862.
Skirmish at Jackson, Salem Church, Tennessee (80 casualties)
-Dec 20th] Battle of Kelly's Ford, VA
-Jan 2nd) Raid on Morgan's: Bardstown to Elizabethtown, KY
Largest mass execution in US history: 38 Dakota men were executed via hanging in the aftermath of the U.S.-Dakota War in Mankato, Minnesota [1]
Battle of Chickasaw Bluffs, MS (Chickasaw Bayou)
-Jan 20th) Battle of Stone's River (Battle of Murfreesboro), Tennessee in US Civil War
Edith Wharton, American writer and designer, known for american writer and designer, was born on 1862-01-24. Edith Newbold Wharton was an American writer and designer.
Andrew Fisher, Australian prime minister, known for australian prime minister, was born on 1862-08-29.
Gerhart Hauptmann, German author, known for german author, was born on 1862-11-15. Gerhart Johann Robert Hauptmann was a German dramatist and novelist.
Maurice Maeterlinck, Belgian playwright and essayist, known for belgian playwright and essayist, was born on 1862-08-29.
Louis Botha is born
Samuel Colt, American industrialist and inventor, known for american industrialist and inventor, died on 1862-01-10.
John Tyler dies
Henry David Thoreau, American philosopher, known for american philosopher, died on 1862-05-06. Henry David Thoreau was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher.
Martin Van Buren dies
First Legal Tender Act of 1862 is passed by US Congress, authorizing the United States note (greenback) into circulation, the first fiat paper money that is legal tender in America
First pasteurization test is completed by Frenchmen Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard
Chemist Dmitri Mendeleev (28) weds Feozva Nikitichna Leshcheva at Nikolaev Engineering Institute's church in Saint Petersburg, Russia
Union Grounds was a baseball park located in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York. The grounds opened in 1862, its inaugural match being played on May 15.
Belgian-French engineer Étienne Lenoir builds the first automobile with an internal-combustion engine
US President Abraham Lincoln signs into law the Homestead Act to provide cheap land for the settlement of the American West (80 million acres by 1900)
The American state of Virginia became a prominent part of the Confederacy when it joined during the American Civil War.
Slavery is outlawed in US territories
The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War.
The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War.
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), which was...
Future Queen of Hawaii Lili'uokalani (24) weds American secretary John Owen Dominis (29) until his death in 1891
Battle of Antietam [Battle of Sharpsburg]: Bloodiest day in the American Civil War with 22,000 dead, wounded, or missing in the first major battle on Union soil
US President Abraham Lincoln issues the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, threatening to free all enslaved people in the rebel Southern states if those states fail to rejoin the Union by January 1, 1863 [1]
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck-Schönhausen; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898) was a German statesman and...
Russian novelist and author of "War and Peace" Leo Tolstoy (34) marries Sophia Andreevna Behrs (18) daughter of a physician in Moscow, Russia until his death in 1910
Minister-President of Prussia Otto von Bismarck delivers his famous "Blood and Iron" speech on the unification of German territories
Richard Jordan Gatling (September 12, 1818 – February 26, 1903) was an American inventor.
40,000 people watch Union Army soldiers play baseball at Hilton Head, South Carolina
The first petroleum shipment (1,329 barrels) from the U.S. to Europe arrives at Victoria Docks, London, England aboard the Elizabeth Watts
The Battle of Middle Creek was an engagement fought January 10, 1862, in Eastern Kentucky during the American Civil War. It was the only battle personally commanded by future president James A.
The Hartley Colliery disaster (also known as the Hartley Pit disaster or Hester Pit disaster) was a coal mining accident in Northumberland, England, that occurred on 16 January 1862 and resulted in...
-Jan 22nd) BBT Ft Henry, Tennessee by USS Lexington
The Territory of Arizona, commonly known as the Arizona Territory, was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the...
The Battle of Mill Springs, also known as the Battle of Fishing Creek in the Confederacy, and the Battle of Logan's Cross Roads or Battle of Somerset in the Union, was fought in Wayne and Pulaski...
Confederate government raises premium for volunteers from $10 to $20
Agoston Haraszthy, the first vintner in Sonoma Valley, California, imports 10,000 grapevine cuttings
Romanian principality arises under King Alexander Cuza. Bucharest proclaimed its capital.
An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship protected by steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s.
Astronomer Alvan Graham Clark makes first observation of Sirius B (first known white dwarf star) in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts while testing his new telescope
The "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is an American patriotic song written by the abolitionist writer Julia Ward Howe during the American Civil War. Howe adapted her song from the soldiers' song "John...
American Civil War: Naval engagement on Tennessee River, USS Conestago vs CSS Appleton Belle
The opening phase of what came to be called the Burnside Expedition, the Battle of Roanoke Island was an amphibious operation of the American Civil War, fought on February 7–8, 1862, in the North...
Battle of Roanoke Island NC, Federals gain control of Pamlico Sound
Dutch 2nd government of Thorbecke forms
Julius Benedict and Dion Boucicault's opera "Lily of Killarney" premieres at Convent Garden in London
-Feb 16th) Siege of Ft Donelson, Tennessee
An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship protected by steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s.
Grant's major assault on Ft Donelson, Tennessee
Battle of Woodburn, Kentucky
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), which was...
Union troops under Brigadier General Wright occupy Fernandina, Florida (US Civil War)
The Battle of Pea Ridge (March 7–8, 1862), also known as the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, took place during the American Civil War near Leetown, northeast of Fayetteville, Arkansas.
US Civil War: Battle of Pea Ridge (aka Elkhorn Tavern) (Arkansas), Day 2, Confederate Generals Ben McCulloch & James McIntosh killed
The First Battle of Newtonia was fought on September 30, 1862, between Confederate soldiers commanded by Colonel Douglas H.
The Battle of Hampton Roads, also referred to as the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack or the Battle of Ironclads, was a naval battle during the American Civil War. The battle was fought over two...
Great Britain & France recognise independence of Zanzibar
Battle of New Bern North Carolina: General Burnside conquers New Bern
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862.
San Marino & Italy conclude treaty of friendship & cooperation
Battle of Kernstown Virginia, Jackson begins his Valley Campaign
Battle of La Glorieta Pass, New Mexico Territory (Apache Canyon, Pigeon's Ranch)
Skirmish at Bealeton Station, Virginia
The Battle of Island Number Ten was an engagement at the New Madrid or Kentucky Bend on the Mississippi River – forming the border between Missouri and Tennessee – during the American Civil War,...
Jackson's Valley campaign, also known as the Shenandoah Valley campaign of 1862, was Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas J.
Peninsular Campaign, launched in southeastern Virginia, aimed at capturing Richmond during US Civil War begins, Confederate victory (US Civil War)
Siege of Yorktown, fought in York County and Newport News, Virginia ends (Yorktown campaign), inconclusive result (US Civil War)
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862.
John D. Lynde patents aerosol dispenser
Fort Pulaski National Monument is located on Cockspur Island between Savannah and Tybee Island, Georgia.
James J. Andrews (1829 – June 7, 1862) was a Kentucky civilian who worked for the Union Army during the early years of the American Civil War.
Battle of Fort Pillow, Tennessee
The Confederate Conscription Acts, 1862 to 1864, were a series of measures taken by the Confederate government to procure the manpower needed to fight the American Civil War. The First Conscription...
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana.
Congress establishes US Mint in Denver, Colorodo
,000 federal troops prepare to march into Corinth, Mississippi
The Northern Virginia Campaign, also known as the Second Bull Run Campaign or Second Manassas Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during August and September 1862 in the Eastern...
The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of...
Battle of West Point, Virginia at Eltham's Landing, Barnhamsville
The Peninsula campaign (also known as the Peninsular campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March to July 1862, the first large-scale...
Battle of Farmington, Mississippi
The Battle of Plum Point Bend took place in Tennessee during the American Civil War on May 10, 1862, on the Mississippi River, between ships of the Confederate River Defense Fleet and the Union...
CSS Virginia was the first steam-powered ironclad warship built by the Confederate States Navy during the first year of the American Civil War.
The Battle of Baton Rouge was a ground and naval battle in the American Civil War fought in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, on August 5, 1862.
Adolphe Nicole of Switzerland patents the chronograph
-May 17] Battle of Princeton, West Virginia
Battle of Princeton West Virginia, ends with about 128 causalities
Beardslee field telegraph used for 1st time
The Battle of Hanover Court House, also known as the Battle of Slash Church, took place on May 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. On...
Battle of Booneville MS - captured Gen Beauregard evacuates Corinth
The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the...
2nd/last day of battle at Fair Oaks/7 Pines Virginia (11,165 casualties)
The Raid on Chambersburg, often identified as J.E.B. Stuart's Chambersburg Raid, was a Confederate States Army cavalry raid into Maryland and Pennsylvania on October 10–12, 1862 during the American...
The Battle of Fort Pillow, also known as the Fort Pillow Massacre, was fought on April 12, 1864, at Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River in Henning, Tennessee, during the American Civil War.
The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or the South, was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States from 1861 to...
Skirmish at Union Church, Virginia (Peninsular)
The Battle of Cross Keys was fought on June 8, 1862, in Rockingham County, Virginia, as part of Confederate Army Maj. Gen. Thomas J.
Barbu Catargiu was a conservative Romanian politician and journalist. He was the first Prime Minister of Romania, in 1862, until he was assassinated on 8 June that year.
Battle of Oak Grove, Virginia (Orchard, Henrico, French's Field) (Kings's Schoolhouse) Day 1 of 7 Days
The Battle of Gaines' Mill, also known as the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles which together decided the...
-28] Battle at Garnett's/Golding's Farms, Virginia
The Battle of Garnett's and Golding's Farms took place June 27–28, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War's Peninsula Campaign.
The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the...
The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E.
Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States.
Skirmish at Devall's Bluff, Arkansas (106 casualties)
Land Grant Act endows state colleges with federal land
Theodore R. Timby is granted a US patent for discharging guns in a revolving turret, using electricity
During the American Civil War, Arkansas was a Confederate state, though it had initially voted to remain in the Union.
Battle of Murfreesboro, fought in Rutherford County, Tennessee begins (Forrest's Raid), Confederate victory (US Civil War)
CSS Arkansas vs. USS Carondelet and Queen of the West engage at the Yazoo River
The Newburgh Raid was a successful raid by Confederate partisans on Newburgh, Indiana, on July 18, 1862, making it the first town in a northern state to be captured during the American Civil War.
Guerrilla campaign in Georgia (Porter's & Poindexter's) [->SEP 20]
Henry Wager Halleck (January 16, 1815 – January 9, 1872) was a senior United States Army officer, scholar, and lawyer.
Massive typhoon hits Canton and Whampoa in China, killing at least 40,000 people
The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or the South, was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States from 1861 to...
American Civil War: Confederate spy Belle Boyd is arrested by Union troops and detained at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C.
The Battle of Baton Rouge was a ground and naval battle in the American Civil War fought in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, on August 5, 1862.
CSS Arkansas was the lead ship of her class of two casemate ironclads built for the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War.
Battle of Cedar Mountain (Slaughter's Mountain), fought in Culpeper County, Virginia, results in a Confederate victory (US Civil War)
The Nueces Massacre, also known as the Massacre on the Nueces and the Battle of Nueces, was a violent confrontation between Confederate soldiers and Unionist Texas Germans on August 10, 1862, in...
Edmund Kirby Smith (May 16, 1824 – March 28, 1893) was a Confederate States Army general, who oversaw the Trans-Mississippi Department (comprising Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, western Louisiana,...
The Vienna Stadtpark, the first public park and garden in Vienna, Austria, opens its gates
The First Battle of Rappahannock Station, (also known as Waterloo Bridge, White Sulphur Springs, Lee Springs, and Freeman's Ford) as took place on August 23, 1862, at present-day Remington, Virginia,...
Skirmish at Big Hill, Kentucky (two Federal regiments)
US Secretary of War authorizes Gen. Rufus Saxton to arm 5,000 enslaved people
Manassas National Battlefield Park is a unit of the National Park Service located in Prince William County, Virginia, United States, north of Manassas.
Battle of Altamont: Confederates defeat Union forces in Tennessee
Battle at Chantilly (Ox Hill) Virginia (2100 casualties)
Battle at Crampton's Gap: Union troops win a tactical victory over Confederate forces
Confederates conquer Union-weapon arsenal at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Kentucky was a southern border state of key importance in the American Civil War. It officially declared its neutrality at the beginning of the war, but after a failed attempt by Confederate General...
American Civil War: The Allegheny Arsenal explosion results in the single largest civilian disaster during the war; 78 workers killed
The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy)...
-20] US Civil War: Battle at Blackford's Ford, Virginia begins
The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly June 1865, during the American Civil War.
Nashville is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, located on the Cumberland River.
The First Battle of Newtonia was fought on September 30, 1862, between Confederate soldiers commanded by Colonel Douglas H.
The Second Battle of Corinth (which, in the context of the American Civil War, is usually referred to as the Battle of Corinth, to differentiate it from the siege of Corinth earlier the same year)...
The siege of Corinth, also known as the first battle of Corinth, was an American Civil War engagement lasting from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi.
The Army of the West was a field army of the Confederate States in the Trans-Mississippi and Western theaters of the American Civil War.
The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland...
Baseballer James Creighton ruptures bladder hitting HR, dies 10/18
Battle of Leetown and Thoroughfare Gap, VA
Kentucky was a southern border state of key importance in the American Civil War. It officially declared its neutrality at the beginning of the war, but after a failed attempt by Confederate General...
Amnesty is proclaimed for escaped slaves of Suriname
The Battle of Old Fort Wayne, also known as Maysville, Beattie's Prairie, or Beaty's Prairie, was an American Civil War battle on October 22, 1862, in Delaware County in what is now eastern...
Battle until the 5th November between gunboats at Bayou Teche, a waterway in Louisiana
New York-San Francisco direct telegraphic link forms
George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American military officer, politician, and engineer who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey from 1878 to 1881 and as...
Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American military officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War.
The Battle of Prairie Grove was a battle of the American Civil War fought on December 7, 1862.
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.
Battle of Kinston, fought in Lenoir County, North Carolina begins (Goldsboro Expedition), Union victory (US Civil War)
Kingdom of Nepal accepts its constitution
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862.
Skirmish at Jackson, Salem Church, Tennessee (80 casualties)
-Dec 20th] Battle of Kelly's Ford, VA
-Jan 2nd) Raid on Morgan's: Bardstown to Elizabethtown, KY
Largest mass execution in US history: 38 Dakota men were executed via hanging in the aftermath of the U.S.-Dakota War in Mankato, Minnesota [1]
Battle of Chickasaw Bluffs, MS (Chickasaw Bayou)
-Jan 20th) Battle of Stone's River (Battle of Murfreesboro), Tennessee in US Civil War
Edith Wharton, American writer and designer, known for american writer and designer, was born on 1862-01-24. Edith Newbold Wharton was an American writer and designer.
Andrew Fisher, Australian prime minister, known for australian prime minister, was born on 1862-08-29.
Gerhart Hauptmann, German author, known for german author, was born on 1862-11-15. Gerhart Johann Robert Hauptmann was a German dramatist and novelist.
Maurice Maeterlinck, Belgian playwright and essayist, known for belgian playwright and essayist, was born on 1862-08-29.
Louis Botha is born
Samuel Colt, American industrialist and inventor, known for american industrialist and inventor, died on 1862-01-10.
John Tyler dies
Henry David Thoreau, American philosopher, known for american philosopher, died on 1862-05-06. Henry David Thoreau was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher.
Martin Van Buren dies