Events
January–March
*
January 13
Events Pre-1600
* 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years.
* 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the racing ...
– American songwriter
Stephen Foster ("
Oh! Susanna", "
Old Folks at Home
"Old Folks at Home" (also known as " Swanee River") is a minstrel song written by Stephen Foster in 1851. Since 1935, it has been the official state song of Florida, although in 2008 the original lyrics were revised. It is Roud Folk Song Inde ...
") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song "
Beautiful Dreamer
"Beautiful Dreamer" is a parlor song by American songwriter Stephen Foster. It was published posthumously in March 1864, by Wm. A. Pond & Co. of New York. The first edition states on its title page that it is "the last song ever written by Steph ...
" is published in March.
*
January 16
Events Pre-1600
* 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire.
* 378 – General Siyaj K'ak' conquers Tikal, enlarging the domain of King Spear ...
–
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
rejects an Austrian-Prussian ultimatum to repeal the
Danish Constitution
The Constitutional Act of the Realm of Denmark ( da, Danmarks Riges Grundlov), also known as the Constitutional Act of the Kingdom of Denmark, or simply the Constitution ( da, Grundloven, fo, Grundlógin, kl, Tunngaviusumik inatsit), is the c ...
, which says that
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...
is part of Denmark.
*
January 21
Events Pre-1600
* 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa.
* 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when Co ...
–
New Zealand Wars
The New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the M ...
: The
Tauranga campaign
The Tauranga campaign was a six-month-long armed conflict in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty in early 1864, and part of the New Zealand Wars that were fought over issues of land ownership and sovereignty. The campaign was a sequel to the invasion of ...
begins.
*
February
February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The month has 28 days in common years or 29 in leap years, with the 29th day being called the ''leap day''. It is the first of five months not to have 31 days (th ...
–
John Wisden publishes ''
The Cricketer's Almanack for the year 1864'' in England; it will go on to become the major annual
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
reference publication.
*
February 1
Events Pre-1600
* 1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.
* 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Mon ...
– Danish-Prussian War (
Second Schleswig War
The Second Schleswig War ( da, Krigen i 1864; german: Deutsch-Dänischer Krieg) also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War was the second military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein Question of the nineteenth century. T ...
): 57,000 Austrian and Prussian troops cross the
Eider River
The Eider (german: Die Eider; da, Ejderen; Latin: ''Egdor'' or ''Eidora'') is the longest river in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The river starts near Bordesholm and reaches the southwestern outskirts of Kiel on the shores of the Balt ...
into Denmark.
*
February 15
Events Pre-1600
* 438 – Roman emperor Theodosius II publishes the law codex Codex Theodosianus
* 590 – Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia.
* 706 – Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Tiberi ...
–
Heineken brewery founded in
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
*
February 17
Events Pre-1600
* 1370 – Northern Crusades: Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights meet in the Battle of Rudau.
* 1411 – Following the successful campaigns during the Ottoman Interregnum, Musa Çelebi, one of the sons of ...
–
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
: The tiny
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
hand-propelled
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
''
H. L. Hunley
''H. L. Hunley'', often referred to as ''Hunley'', '' CSS H. L. Hunley'', or as ''CSS Hunley'', was a submarine of the Confederate States of America that played a small part in the American Civil War. ''Hunley'' demonstrated the advantages and th ...
'' sinks the , using a
spar torpedo in
Charleston Harbor, becoming the first submarine to sink an enemy ship, although the submarine and her crew of eight are also lost.
*
February 20
Events Pre-1600
*1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated.
*1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland ...
– American Civil War: The
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
suffers one of its
costliest defeats at the
Battle of Olustee near
Lake City, Florida
Lake City is a city in northern Florida. It is the county seat of Columbia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 12,329. It is the principal city of the Lake City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which ...
.
*
February 25
Events Pre-1600
* 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor.
* 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.
...
– American Civil War: The first Northern prisoners arrive at the Confederate prison at
Andersonville, Georgia
Andersonville is a city in Sumter County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 237. It is located in the southwest part of the state, approximately southwest of Macon on the Central of Georgia railroad. ...
(the 500 prisoners had left Richmond, Virginia, seven days before).
*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first Roman triumph, triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor ...
–
Alejandro Mon y Menéndez
Alejandro Mon y Menéndez (26 February 1801 in Oviedo, Principality of Asturias, Spain – 1 November 1882) was a Spanish politician and jurist who was prime minister of Spain in 1864, during the reign of Queen Isabella II.
Early life
Mon w ...
takes office as
Prime Minister of Spain
The prime minister of Spain, officially president of the Government ( es, link=no, Presidente del Gobierno), is the head of government of Spain. The office was established in its current form by the Constitution of 1978 and it was first regula ...
.
*
March 9
Events Pre-1600
*141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China.
*1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg.
* 1226 – ...
– American Civil War:
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
appoints
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
commander in chief of all
Union armies.
*
March 10 – American Civil War: The
Red River Campaign begins, as Union troops reach
Alexandria, Louisiana.
*
March 11 –
Great Sheffield Flood
The Great Sheffield Flood was a flood that devastated parts of Sheffield, England, on 11 March 1864, when the Dale Dyke Dam broke as its reservoir was being filled for the first time. At least 240 people died and more than 600 houses were da ...
: A reservoir near
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
, England, bursts; 250 die.
April–June
*
April 8
Events Pre-1600
* 217 – Roman emperor Caracalla is assassinated and is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus.
* 876 – The Battle of Dayr al-'Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids.
*1139 – Ro ...
–
Gallaudet University
Gallaudet University ( ) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first sc ...
is founded in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, as the first university for the deaf and hard of hearing.
*
April 12 –
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
:
Battle of Fort Pillow – Confederate forces kill most of the
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
soldiers that surrender at
Fort Pillow,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
.
*
April 15 –
Choe Je-u, founder of the
Donghak Movement, is executed by beheading for sedition, at
Daegu
Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea.
It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...
, Korea.
*
April 18
Events Pre-1600
* 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days.
* 1428 – Peace of Ferrara betw ...
– Danish-Prussian War (
Second Schleswig War
The Second Schleswig War ( da, Krigen i 1864; german: Deutsch-Dänischer Krieg) also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War was the second military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein Question of the nineteenth century. T ...
) –
Battle of Dybbøl
The Battle of Dybbøl ( da, Slaget ved Dybbøl; german: Erstürmung der Düppeler Schanzen) was the key battle of the Second Schleswig War, fought between Denmark and Prussia. The battle was fought on the morning of 18 April 1864, following ...
: The Prussian army, fielding 10,000 men, defeats the Danish defending army of 9,200 at Dybbøl Mill, after an artillery bombardment from
April 7–
18.
*
April 22
Events Pre-1600
* 1500 – Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral lands in Brazil.
* 1519 – Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés establishes a settlement at Veracruz, Mexico.
* 1529 – Treaty of Zaragoza divides the eastern ...
– The
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
passes the
Coinage Act of 1864
The Coinage Act of 1864 was a United States federal law passed on April 22, 1864, which changed the composition of the one-cent coin and authorized the minting of the two-cent coin. The Director of the U.S. Mint developed the designs for these ...
, which mandates that the inscription ''In God We Trust'' be placed on all coins minted as
United States currency
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
.
*
May 2 – Under terms of the
Treaty of London, the United Kingdom voluntarily cedes control of the
United States of the Ionian Islands to the
Kingdom of Greece
The Kingdom of Greece ( grc, label=Greek, Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος ) was established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople, where ...
.
*
May 4 –
Société Générale, a major financial group in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, is founded.
*
May 5 – American Civil War: The
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Arm ...
begins in
Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
*
May 7
** American Civil War: The
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...
, under General
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
, breaks off from the
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Arm ...
and moves southwards.
** The
clipper
A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century merchant sailing vessel, designed for speed. Clippers were generally narrow for their length, small by later 19th century standards, could carry limited bulk freight, and had a large total sail area. "C ...
ship ''
City of Adelaide'' is launched in
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
, England. By the 21st century, she will be the world's oldest surviving clipper of only two (''
Cutty Sark'' being the other).
*
May 8
Events Pre-1600
* 453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin.
* 413 – Emperor Honorius signs a ...
–
21 – American Civil War:
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House (The ''Bloody Angle'') – Some 4,000 troops on both sides die in an inconclusive engagement.
*
May 9
Events Pre-1600
* 328 – Athanasius is elected Patriarch of Alexandria.
*1009 – Lombard Revolt: Lombard forces led by Melus revolt in Bari against the Byzantine Catepanate of Italy.
*1386 – England and Portugal formally rati ...
** Danish-Prussian War (
Second Schleswig War
The Second Schleswig War ( da, Krigen i 1864; german: Deutsch-Dänischer Krieg) also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War was the second military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein Question of the nineteenth century. T ...
) –
Battle of Heligoland: The Danish navy gains a tactical victory over those of Austria and Prussia, near the island of Heligoland. It is the last significant naval battle fought by squadrons of wooden ships, and also the last involving Denmark.
** American general
John Sedgwick is shot dead during the
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, shortly after uttering the famous
last words
Last words are the final utterances before death. The meaning is sometimes expanded to somewhat earlier utterances.
Last words of famous or infamous people are sometimes recorded (although not always accurately) which became a historical and liter ...
: ''"They couldn't hit an elephant from this distance!"''
*
May 11
Events 1601–1900
*1812 – Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is Assassination of Spencer Perceval, assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the British House of Commons.
*1813 – William Lawson (explorer), William Lawson, Grego ...
– American Civil War:
Battle of Yellow Tavern – Confederate General
J. E. B. Stuart
James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833May 12, 1864) was a United States Army officer from Virginia who became a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb,” from the initials of ...
is mortally wounded at Yellow Tavern, Virginia.
*
May 13
Events Pre-1600
*1373 – Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book '' Revelations of Divine Love''.
* 1501 – Amerigo Vespu ...
– American Civil War:
Battle of Resaca
The Battle of Resaca, from May 13 to 15, 1864, formed part of the Atlanta Campaign during the American Civil War, when a Union force under William Tecumseh Sherman engaged the Confederate Army of Tennessee led by Joseph E. Johnston. The battle ...
– The battle begins with Union General
Sherman
Sherman most commonly refers to:
*Sherman (name), a surname and given name (and list of persons with the name)
** William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891), American Civil War General
*M4 Sherman, a tank
Sherman may also refer to:
Places United St ...
fighting toward
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
.
*
May 15
Events Pre-1600
* 221 – Liu Bei, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of Shu Han, the successor of the Han dynasty.
* 392 – Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arbog ...
– American Civil War:
Battle of New Market – Cadets from the
Virginia Military Institute
la, Consilio et Animis (on seal)
, mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal)
, established =
, type = Public senior military college
, accreditation = SACS
, endowment = $696.8 mill ...
fight alongside the
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
Army, forcing
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
General
Franz Sigel out of the
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge- ...
.
*
May 18
Events Pre-1600
* 332 – Emperor Constantine the Great announces free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople.
* 872 – Louis II of Italy is crowned for the second time as Holy Roman Emperor at Rome, at the age of 4 ...
–
Civil War gold hoax
The Civil War Gold Hoax, also known as the Bogus Proclamation of 1864 was an 1864 unsuccessful financial hoax perpetrated during the American Civil War by American journalists Joseph Howard Jr. and Francis Mallison of the Brooklyn Eagle. Howard a ...
: The ''New York World'' and the ''New York Journal of Commerce'' publish a fake proclamation that President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
has issued a draft of 400,000 more soldiers.
*
May 20
Events Pre-1600
* 325 – The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church.
* 491 – Empress Ariadne marries Anastasius I. The widowed '' Augusta'' is able to choose her ...
** American Civil War:
Battle of Ware Bottom Church
The Battle of Ware Bottom Church was fought on May 20, 1864, between Union Army, Union and Confederate States Army, Confederate forces during the American Civil War. The Union troops were led by Benjamin Butler (politician), Benjamin Butler, wh ...
– In the Virginia
Bermuda Hundred Campaign, 10,000 troops fight in this Confederate victory.
** Australian bushranger
Ben Hall and his gang escape from a shootout with police, after attempting to rob the Bang Bang Hotel in
Koorawatha, New South Wales
Koorawatha is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia, on the Olympic Highway between Cowra and Young. It was once a large and thriving centre of activity but now has only a hotel and a cafe.
The Koorawatha Hotel h ...
.
*
May 21 – The Russian Empire begins the
Circassian genocide. More than 1.5 million Circassians are driven from their homeland to the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, ending the
Russo-Circassian War
The Russo-Circassian War ( ady, Урыс-адыгэ зауэ, translit=Wurıs-adığə zawə; ; 1763–1864; also known as the Russian Invasion of Circassia) was the invasion of Circassia by Russia, starting in July 17, 1763 ( O.S) with the Ru ...
.
*
May 26
Events Pre-1600
* 17 – Germanicus celebrates a triumph in Rome for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti, and other German tribes west of the Elbe.
* 451 – Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sasanian Empire take ...
–
Montana Territory is organized out of parts of Washington Territory and Dakota Territory.
*
June
June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the second of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the third of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. June contains the summer solstice in ...
– The
United States Sanitary Commission
The United States Sanitary Commission (USSC) was a private relief agency created by federal legislation on June 18, 1861, to support sick and wounded soldiers of the United States Army (Federal / Northern / Union Army) during the American Civil W ...
's
Sanitary Fair
Sanitary fairs were fund-raising events held in various cities on behalf of the United States Sanitary Commission to raise funds and supplies for the Union Army during the American Civil War. Established in 1863, the last major event was held in 1 ...
in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
takes place.
*
June 5
Events Pre-1600
*1257 – Kraków, in Poland, receives city rights.
*1283 – Battle of the Gulf of Naples: Roger of Lauria, admiral to King Peter III of Aragon, destroys the Neapolitan fleet and captures Charles II of Naples, Charles ...
– American Civil War:
Battle of Piedmont – Union forces under General
David Hunter
David Hunter (July 21, 1802 – February 2, 1886) was an American military officer. He served as a Union general during the American Civil War. He achieved notability for his unauthorized 1862 order (immediately rescinded) emancipating slaves ...
defeat a Confederate army at
Piedmont, West Virginia
Piedmont is a town in Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. It is part of the Cumberland, MD- WV metropolitan statistical area. The population was 716 at the 2020 census. Piedmont was chartered in 1856 and the town is the subject of '' ...
, taking nearly 1,000 prisoners.
*
June 9 – American Civil War:
Battle of Petersburg – Union forces under General Grant and troops led by Confederate General
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...
battle for the last time.
*
June 10 – American Civil War:
**
Battle of Noonday Creek – Confederate troops defeat Union forces, near
Kennesaw, Georgia
Kennesaw is a suburban city northwest of Atlanta in Cobb County, Georgia, United States, located within the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Known from its original settlement in the 1830s until 1887 as Big Shanty, it became Kennesaw under its ...
.
**
Battle of Brice's Crossroads
The Battle of Brice's Cross Roads, also known as the Battle of Tishomingo Creek or the Battle of Guntown, was fought on Friday, June 10, 1864, near Baldwyn, Mississippi, then part of the Confederate States of America. A Federal expedition fro ...
– Confederate troops under
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was a prominent Confederate Army general during the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1867 to 1869. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealt ...
defeat a much larger Union force, led by General
Samuel D. Sturgis
Samuel Davis Sturgis (June 11, 1822 – September 28, 1889) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the United States Army. A veteran of the Mexican–American War, Mexican War, American Civil War, Civil War, and American Indian Wars, I ...
, in
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
.
*
June 12
Events Pre-1600
* 910 – Battle of Augsburg: The Hungarians defeat the East Frankish army under King Louis the Child, using the famous feigned retreat tactic of the nomadic warriors.
* 1240 – At the instigation of Louis IX of Fr ...
– American Civil War:
Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...
– General Ulysses S. Grant pulls his troops from their positions at Cold Harbor, Virginia, and moves south.
*
June 15 –
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...
is established in the United States, when of the grounds of Robert E. Lee's home (
Arlington House) are officially set aside as a military
cemetery
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...
, by U.S. Secretary of War
Edwin M. Stanton
Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize t ...
.
*
June 18
** The
Decree of Extended Freedom of Trade introduces complete freedom of trade in Sweden.
** The
January Uprising
The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...
ends in the defeat of Polish forces.
*
June 19 – American Civil War:
Battle of Cherbourg
The Battle of Cherbourg was part of the Battle of Normandy during World War II. It was fought immediately after the successful Allied landings on 6 June 1944. Allied troops, mainly American, isolated and captured the fortified port, which was ...
–
Confederate States Navy CSS ''Alabama'' is sunk in a
single-ship action
A single-ship action is a naval engagement fought between two warships of opposing sides, excluding submarine engagements; called so because there is a single ship on each side. The following is a list of notable single-ship actions.
Single-shi ...
with
USS ''Kearsarge'', in the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
off the coast of
Cherbourg peninsula, France.
*
June 21
Events Pre-1600
* 533 – A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarius sails from Constantinople to attack the Vandals in Africa, via Greece and Sicily (approximate date).
* 1307 – Külüg Khan is enthroned as Khagan of the Mo ...
–
New Zealand Wars
The New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the M ...
: The
Tauranga Campaign
The Tauranga campaign was a six-month-long armed conflict in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty in early 1864, and part of the New Zealand Wars that were fought over issues of land ownership and sovereignty. The campaign was a sequel to the invasion of ...
ends.
*
June 27 – American Civil War:
Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought on June 27, 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the most significant frontal assault launched by Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman against the Confederate Army of Tennes ...
– Confederate troops defeat Union forces, near
Kennesaw, Georgia
Kennesaw is a suburban city northwest of Atlanta in Cobb County, Georgia, United States, located within the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Known from its original settlement in the 1830s until 1887 as Big Shanty, it became Kennesaw under its ...
.
*
June 29
Events Pre-1600
* 226 – Cao Rui succeeds his father as emperor of the Kingdom of Wei.
*1149 – Raymond of Poitiers is defeated and killed at the Battle of Inab by Nur ad-Din Zangi.
* 1194 – Sverre is crowned King of Norway, ...
– Second Schleswig War: The
Battle of Als
The Battle of Als ( da, Slaget om Als; german: Übergang nach Alsen) was fought on 29 June 1864 during the Second Schleswig War between Denmark and Prussia. It was the last major engagement of the war, as the Prussians under General Herwarth ...
is won by the Prussians under General
Herwarth von Bittenfeld, who occupy the island of
Als
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most com ...
after crossing the Alssund, between the village of Sottrupskov and the
Sandbjerg Estate, by night. Of 9,000 Danish troops stationed there, a third are killed, wounded or captured.
July–September
*
July 2 –
Dimitri Atanasescu founds the first
Romanian school in the Balkans for the
Aromanians
The Aromanians ( rup, Armãnji, Rrãmãnji) are an Ethnic groups in Europe, ethnic group native to the southern Balkans who speak Aromanian language, Aromanian, an Eastern Romance language. They traditionally live in central and southern Alba ...
in
Trnovo, in the Ottoman Empire (now in
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
). By the early 20th century, the number of these schools will have risen to 106.
*
July 4
Events Pre-1600
* 362 BC – Battle of Mantinea: The Thebans, led by Epaminondas, defeated the Spartans.
* 414 – Emperor Theodosius II, age 13, yields power to his older sister Aelia Pulcheria, who reigned as regent and proclaim ...
– The
University of Bucharest in
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
is founded.
*
July 18
Events Pre-1600
* 477 BC – Battle of the Cremera as part of the Roman–Etruscan Wars. Veii ambushes and defeats the Roman army.
* 387 BC – Roman- Gaulish Wars: Battle of the Allia: A Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, l ...
– President Lincoln issues a true proclamation of conscription of 500,000 men, for the U.S. Civil War.
*
July 19
Events Pre-1600
*AD 64 – The Great Fire of Rome causes widespread devastation and rages on for six days, destroying half of the city.
* 484 – Leontius, Roman usurper, is crowned Eastern emperor at Tarsus (modern Turkey). He is re ...
– The
Third Battle of Nanking
The Third Battle of Nanking in 1864 was the last major engagement of the Taiping Rebellion in the Qing Empire. With the fall of Nanking (now spelled Nanjing), the capital of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the rebellion came to an end. The Hunan ...
climaxes, when the
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom capital of
Nanking falls to an assault by Imperial
Qing Dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
forces, in the last major action of the
Taiping Rebellion
The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a massive rebellion and civil war that was waged in China between the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and the Han, Hakka-led Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It lasted fr ...
in China. There are probably more than a million troops in the battle, and the Taiping army sustains at least 100,000 dead.
*
July 20 –
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
:
Battle of Peachtree Creek – Near
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, Confederate forces led by General
John Bell Hood unsuccessfully attack Union troops under General
William T. Sherman.
*
July 22
Events Pre-1600
* 838 – Battle of Anzen: The Byzantine emperor Theophilos suffers a heavy defeat by the Abbasids.
*1099 – First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of J ...
–
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
:
Battle of Atlanta – Outside of Atlanta, Confederate General Hood leads an unsuccessful attack on Union troops under General Sherman, on Bald Hill.
*
July 24 –
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
:
Second Battle of Kernstown
The Second Battle of Kernstown was fought on July 24, 1864, at Kernstown, Virginia, outside Winchester, Virginia, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864 in the American Civil War. The Confederate Army of the Valley under Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Ear ...
– Confederate General
Jubal Early defeats Union troops led by General
George Crook
George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. During the 1880s, the Apache nicknamed Crook ''Nantan ...
in an effort to keep the Yankees out of the Shenandoah Valley.
*
July 28 –
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
:
Battle of Ezra Church
The Battle of Ezra Church, also known as the Battle of Ezra Chapel and the Battle of the Poor House (July 28, 1864) saw Union Army forces under Major General William T. Sherman fight Confederate States Army troops led by Lieutenant General John ...
– Confederate troops, led by General Hood, make a third unsuccessful attempt to drive Union forces under General Sherman from Atlanta.
*
July 29 –
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
: Confederate spy
Belle Boyd is arrested by Union troops, and detained at the
Old Capitol Prison
The Old Brick Capitol in Washington, D.C., served as the temporary Capitol of the United States from 1815 to 1819. The building was a private school, a boarding house, and, during the American Civil War, a prison known as the Old Capitol Priso ...
in Washington, D.C.
*
July 30
Events Pre-1600
* 762 – Baghdad is founded.
*1419 – First Defenestration of Prague: A crowd of radical Hussites kill seven members of the Prague city council.
*1502 – Christopher Columbus lands at Guanaja in the Bay Islands ...
–
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
:
Battle of the Crater
The Battle of the Crater was a battle of the American Civil War, part of the siege of Petersburg. It took place on Saturday, July 30, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee, and the Union Arm ...
– Union forces attempt to break Confederate lines, by exploding a large bomb under their trenches.
*
August 1 – The
Elgin Watch Company is founded in
Elgin, Illinois
Elgin ( ) is a city in Cook and Kane counties in the northern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. Elgin is located northwest of Chicago, along the Fox River. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 114,797, the seventh-large ...
.
*
August 5
Events Pre-1600
*AD 25 – Guangwu claims the throne as Emperor of China, restoring the Han dynasty after the collapse of the short-lived Xin dynasty.
* 70 – Fires resulting from the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem are ...
–
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
:
Battle of Mobile Bay – At
Mobile Bay near
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...
, Admiral
David Farragut leads a Union flotilla through Confederate defenses, and seals one of the last major Southern ports.
*
August 10 – An undeclared
Uruguayan War
The Uruguayan War (10 August 1864 – 20 February 1865) was fought between Uruguay's governing Blanco Party and an alliance consisting of the Empire of Brazil and the Uruguayan Colorado Party, covertly supported by Argentina. Since its i ...
begins, when
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
refuses an ultimatum from the
Empire of Brazil
The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and (until 1828) Uruguay. Its government was a representative parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the rule of Emperors Dom Pe ...
.
*
August 13
Events Pre-1600
* 29 BC – Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes.
* 523 – John I becomes the new Pope after the death of Pope Hormisdas.
* 554 – Em ...
– The first
fish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular hot dish consisting of fried fish in crispy batter, served with chips. The dish originated in England, where these two components had been introduced from separate immigrant cultures; it is not known who created t ...
shop perhaps opens in London.
*
August 18 –
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
:
Battle of Globe Tavern – Forces under Union General
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
try to cut a vital
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
supply-line into
Petersburg, Virginia, by attacking the
Wilmington and Weldon Railroad, forcing the Confederates to use wagons.
*
August 22 – The
First Geneva Convention
The First Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field, held on 22 August 1864, is the first of four treaties of the Geneva Conventions. It defines "the basis on which rest the rules of internatio ...
, for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field, is signed in
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
by 12 European states, under the auspices of the
International Committee for Relief to the Wounded (predecessor of the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, an ...
).
*
August 31 –
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
: Union forces, led by General
William T. Sherman, launch an assault on
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
.
*
September 1
Events Pre-1600
* 1145 – The main altar of Lund Cathedral, at the time seat of the archiepiscopal see of all the Nordic countries, is consecrated.
* 1173 – The widow Stamira sacrifices herself in order to raise the siege of Ancon ...
**
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
: Confederate General Hood evacuates Atlanta, after a 4-month siege mounted by Union General Sherman.
**
Charlottetown Conference
The Charlottetown Conference (Canada's Conference) was held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island for representatives from colonies of British North America to discuss Canadian Confederation. The conference took place between September 1 thro ...
: Delegates from the Canadian colonies meet, to discuss
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Canada, Dom ...
.
*
September 2
Events
Pre-1600
*44 BC – Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion.
* 44 BC – Cicero launches the first of his ''Philippicae'' (oratorical attacks) on Mark Antony. He will make 14 of them ...
–
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
: Union forces under General Sherman enter Atlanta, a day after the Confederate defenders fled the city.
*
September 5–
6 –
Bombardment of Shimonoseki: An American, British,
Dutch and French alliance engages the powerful feudal Japanese warlord or ''
daimyō
were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...
'' Lord
Mōri Takachika, of the
Chōshū clan, based in
Shimonoseki
is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. With a population of 265,684, it is the largest city in Yamaguchi Prefecture and the fifth-largest city in the Chūgoku region. It is located at the southwestern tip of Honshu facing the Tsushim ...
, Japan.
*
September 7
Events Pre-1600
* 70 – A Roman army under Titus occupies and plunders Jerusalem.
* 878 – Louis the Stammerer is crowned as king of West Francia by Pope John VIII.
*1159 – Pope Alexander III is chosen.
*1191 – Third Cru ...
–
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
: Atlanta is evacuated on orders of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman.
*
September 16
Events Pre-1600
* 681 – Pope Honorius I is posthumously excommunicated by the Sixth Ecumenical Council.
*1400 – Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers. 1601–1900
* 1620 – A determined band of 35 relig ...
–
Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...
establishes the
Diocese of Gozo.
*
September 17
Events Pre-1600
* 1111 – Highest Galician nobility led by Pedro Fróilaz de Traba and the bishop Diego Gelmírez crown Alfonso VII as "King of Galicia".
* 1176 – The Battle of Myriokephalon is the last attempt by the Byzantine Empi ...
–
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
: The
Second Battle of Cabin Creek
The Second Battle of Cabin Creek was part of a plan conceived by Confederate Brigadier General Stand Watie (who had been promoted from colonel after the First Battle of Cabin Creek). The plan was to have a Confederate force attack central Kansas ...
is fought in
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...
.
*
September 28
Events Pre-1600
*48 BC – Pompey disembarks at Pelusium upon arriving in Egypt, whereupon he is assassinated by order of King Ptolemy XIII.
* 235 – Pope Pontian resigns. He is exiled to the mines of Sardinia, along with Hippolytus ...
– The
International Workingmen's Association is founded in London.
October–December
*
October 1 – A calamity is narrowly averted in London at the
Erith explosion
*
October 2
Events Pre-1600
* 829 – Theophilos succeeds his father Michael II as Byzantine Emperor.
* 939 – Battle of Andernach: Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, crushes a rebellion against his rule, by a coalition of Eberhard of Franconia and ot ...
–
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
:
First Battle of Saltville
The First Battle of Saltville (October 2, 1864) was fought near the town of Saltville, Virginia, during the American Civil War. The battle over an important Confederate saltworks in town was fought by both regular and Home Guard Confederate units ...
– Union forces attack
Saltville, Virginia, but are defeated by Confederate troops.
*
October 5 – A
cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an anti ...
kills 70,000 in
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
, India.
*
October 9 –
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
:
Battle of Tom's Brook
The Battle of Toms Brook, Virginia, Tom's Brook was fought on October 9, 1864, in Shenandoah County, Virginia, during Philip Sheridan's Valley Campaigns of 1864, Shenandoah Valley Campaign of the American Civil War. It resulted in a significant U ...
– Union cavalrymen in the Shenandoah Valley defeat Confederate forces at Tom's Brook, Virginia.
* October 10 – The Quebec Conference, 1864, Quebec Conference begins, to discuss plans for the creation of a Dominion of Canada.
* October 12 –
Uruguayan War
The Uruguayan War (10 August 1864 – 20 February 1865) was fought between Uruguay's governing Blanco Party and an alliance consisting of the Empire of Brazil and the Uruguayan Colorado Party, covertly supported by Argentina. Since its i ...
: Forces of the
Empire of Brazil
The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and (until 1828) Uruguay. Its government was a representative parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the rule of Emperors Dom Pe ...
invade
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
, in support of Venancio Flores' Colorado Party (Uruguay), Colorado Party.
* October 28 –
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
: Second Battle of Fair Oaks – Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant withdraw from Fair Oaks, Henrico County, Virginia, Fair Oaks, Virginia, after failing to breach the Confederate defenses around Richmond, Virginia.
* October 30
** The
Second Schleswig War
The Second Schleswig War ( da, Krigen i 1864; german: Deutsch-Dänischer Krieg) also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War was the second military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein Question of the nineteenth century. T ...
is concluded. Denmark renounces all claim to Schleswig, Holstein, and Lauenburg, which come under Prussian and Austrian administration.
** Helena, Montana, is founded, after four Prospecting, prospectors (the so-called ''Four Georgians'') discover gold at ''Last Chance Gulch''; it is their last and agreed final attempt for weeks, of trying to find gold in the northern Rockies.
** An annular solar eclipse occurs, the 42nd solar eclipse of Solar Saros 131.
* October 31 – Nevada is admitted as the 36th U.S. state.
* November 4 –
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
: Battle of Johnsonville – At Johnsonville, Tennessee, troops under the command of Confederate General
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was a prominent Confederate Army general during the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1867 to 1869. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealt ...
bombard a Union supply base with artillery, and destroy millions of dollars worth of material.
* November 7 – The capital of Idaho Territory is moved from Lewiston, Idaho, Lewiston to Boise; North Idaho declares the move illegal, and proposes secession.
* November 8 – 1864 United States presidential election:
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
is reelected, in an overwhelming victory over George B. McClellan.
* November 12 – Hostilities in the Paraguayan War open, with the Paraguayan ship ''Tacuarí'' capturing the Brazilian ''Marquês de Olinda'', in the Paraguay River.
* November 15 –
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
– Sherman's March to the Sea begins: Union General Sherman burns Atlanta and starts to move south, living off the land, and causing extensive devastation to crops and mills.
* November 20 – The judicial reform of Alexander II is launched in the Russian Empire.
* November 22 –
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
: Sherman's March to the Sea – Confederate General John Bell Hood invades
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
, in an unsuccessful attempt to draw Union General Sherman from Georgia.
* November 25 –
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
: A group of Confederate operatives, calling themselves the Confederate Army of Manhattan, starts fires in more than 20 locations, in an unsuccessful attempt to burn down New York City.
* November 29 – American Indian Wars: Sand Creek massacre – Colorado volunteers, led by Colonel John Chivington, massacre at least 400 Cheyenne and Arapaho noncombatants at Sand Creek, Colorado (where they had been given permission to camp); many of the dead are subsequently mutilated.
* November 30 –
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
: Second Battle of Franklin – The Confederate Army of Tennessee, led by General Hood, mounts a dramatically unsuccessful frontal assault on Union positions around Franklin, Tennessee (Hood loses 6 generals and almost a third of his troops).
* December 1 – The Great Fire of Brisbane breaks out in Australia.
* December 4 –
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
: Sherman's March to the Sea – At Waynesboro, Georgia, forces under Union General Judson Kilpatrick prevent troops, led by Confederate General Joseph Wheeler, from interfering with Union General Sherman's campaign of destroying a wide swath of the South, on his march to Savannah, Georgia, Savannah; Union forces suffer more than 3 times the casualties as the Confederates, however.
* December 8
** James Clerk Maxwell presents his paper, ''A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field'', to the Royal Society in London, treating light as an electromagnetic wave.
** ''Syllabus errorum'':
Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...
condemns theological liberalism as an error, and claims the supremacy of Roman Catholic Church authority over civil society. He also condemns rationalism and socialism.
** The Clifton Suspension Bridge across the River Avon (Bristol) in England, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and completed as a memorial to him, opens to traffic.
* December 13 – Paraguayan War: Paraguay formally declares war on the
Empire of Brazil
The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and (until 1828) Uruguay. Its government was a representative parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the rule of Emperors Dom Pe ...
, in support of the National Party (Uruguay), Uruguayan National Party. The war continues to 1870, with around 300,000 Paraguayan deaths.
* December 15–December 16, 16 –
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. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
: Battle of Nashville – Union forces decisively defeat the Confederate Army of Tennessee.
Date unknown
* The Second Anglo-Ashanti wars#Second Anglo-Ashanti War, Anglo-Ashanti War ends.
* The Dutch conquer southern Sumatra.
* Asa Mercer travels from Seattle to the U.S. East Coast, and recruits 11 ''Mercer Girls'', potential wives for men on the West Coast.
* The first Quanjude Peking Roast Duck restaurant opens on Qianmen Street in Peking, China.
* Yasudaya Currency Exchange Bank, as predecessor of Mizuho Financial Group, is founded in Edo (modern-day Tokyo), Japan.
* Merchants Bank of Halifax, as predecessor of Royal Bank of Canada, founded in Nova Scotia.
Births
January–March
* January 1
** Qi Baishi, Chinese painter (d. 1957)
** Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer (d. 1946)
* January 8 – Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (d. 1892)
*
January 13
Events Pre-1600
* 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years.
* 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the racing ...
– Wilhelm Wien, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
*
January 21
Events Pre-1600
* 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa.
* 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when Co ...
– Israel Zangwill, British novelist, playwright (d. 1926)
* January 24 – Marguerite Durand, French actress, journalist and feminist leader (d. 1936)
* January 28 – Herbert Akroyd Stuart, English mechanical engineer, inventor (d. 1927)
* February 4 – James Fenton (politician), James Fenton, Australian politician (d. 1950)
* February 7 – Arthur Collins (singer), Arthur Collins, early American recording artist (d. 1933)
* February 11 – Louis Bouveault, French chemist (d. 1909)
*
February 17
Events Pre-1600
* 1370 – Northern Crusades: Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights meet in the Battle of Rudau.
* 1411 – Following the successful campaigns during the Ottoman Interregnum, Musa Çelebi, one of the sons of ...
– Banjo Paterson, Australian poet (d. 1941)
*
February 20
Events Pre-1600
*1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated.
*1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland ...
– Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson, British general (d. 1925)
* March 4 – David W. Taylor, American naval architect (d. 1940)
* March 12 – W. H. R. Rivers, English psychiatrist (d. 1922)
* March 13 – Alexej von Jawlensky, Russian expressionist painter (d. 1941)
* March 14 – Alfred Redl, Austrian military intelligence officer and double agent (suicide 1913)
* March 15 – Johan Halvorsen, Norwegian composer (d. 1935)
* March 17 – Joseph Baptista, Indian Home Rule Movement founder (d. 1930)
* March 19 – Charles Marion Russell, American artist (d. 1926)
* March 23 – Sándor Simonyi-Semadam, 26th Prime Minister of Hungary (d. 1946)
April–June
* April 10
** Michael Mayr, 2nd Chancellor of Austria (d. 1922)
** Tully Marshall, American actor (d. 1943)
* April 11 – Johanna Elberskirchen, German feminist (d. 1943)
*
April 12 – Rosslyn Wemyss, 1st Baron Wester Wemyss, British admiral (d. 1933)
* April 14 – Artur Văitoianu, Romanian general and politician, 27th Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1956)
* April 21 – Max Weber, German sociologist (d. 1920)
*
May 5 – Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet, British field marshal, politician (d. 1922)
* May 10 – Léon Gaumont, French film pioneer (d. 1946)
*
May 15
Events Pre-1600
* 221 – Liu Bei, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of Shu Han, the successor of the Han dynasty.
* 392 – Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arbog ...
– Vilhelm Hammershøi, Danish painter (d. 1916)
*
May 20
Events Pre-1600
* 325 – The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church.
* 491 – Empress Ariadne marries Anastasius I. The widowed '' Augusta'' is able to choose her ...
– Vasily Gurko, Russian general (d. 1937)
* May 25 – Princess Anne of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg, British-born German aristocrat, aviation enthusiast (d. 1927, officially declared dead February 1928)
* June 2 – Wilhelm Souchon, German admiral (d. 1946)
* June 3 – Ransom E. Olds, American automotive pioneer (d. 1950)
*
June 10 – Ninian Comper, British architect (d. 1960)
* June 11 – Richard Strauss, German composer (d. 1949)
* June 13 – Dwight B. Waldo, American educator, historian (d. 1939)
* June 14 – Alois Alzheimer, German psychiatrist, neuropathologist (d. 1915)
* June 22 – Hermann Minkowski, German mathematician (d. 1915, 1909)
* June 25 – Walther Nernst, German chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1941)
* June 30 – Frederick Bligh Bond, English architect (d. 1945)
July–September
* July 12
** George Washington Carver, African-American botanist (d. 1943)
** Peter Deunov, Bulgarian spiritual teacher (d. 1944)
* July 13 – John Jacob Astor IV, American businessman, inventor (d. 1912)
* July 15 – Marie Tempest, English stage, film actress (d. 1942)
*
July 20 – Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Swedish writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1931)
* July 21 – Frances Cleveland, First Lady of the United States (d. 1947)
* July 23 – Apolinario Mabini, Filipino political theoretician, Prime Minister (d. 1903)
* August 9 – Roman Dmowski, Polish politician (d. 1939)
* August 20 – Ion I. C. Brătianu, 5-time prime minister of Romania (d. 1927)
* August 23 – Eleftherios Venizelos, 7-time prime minister of Greece (d. 1936)
* September 14 – Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood, English politician, diplomat, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1958)
October–December
*
October 1 – Emma Sheridan Fry, American actress and playwright (d. 1936)
*
October 5 – Louis Lumière, French inventor (d. 1948)
* October 8 – Kikunae Ikeda, Japanese chemist (d. 1936)
*
October 9 – Reginald Dyer, British army officer, perpetrator of Jallianwala Bagh massacre (d. 1927)
* October 15 – Lorenzo Lauri, Italian cardinal (d. 1941)
* October 25 – Alexander Gretchaninov, Russian composer (d. 1956)
* October 31 – Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1945)
* November 5 – Jessie Ralph, American actress (d. 1944)
* November 1 – Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine (1864–1918), Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine (d. 1918)
* November 11 – Alfred Hermann Fried, Austrian writer, pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1921)
* November 24 – Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, French painter (d. 1901)
* November 26 – Edward Higgins, 3rd General of The Salvation Army (d. 1947)
* December 6
**Alberico Albricci, Italian general (d. 1936)
**William S. Hart, American film actor, director and writer (d. 1946)
* December 8 – Camille Claudel, French sculptor (d. 1943)
* December 9 – Breaker Morant, Australian soldier (d. 1902)
* December 12 – Paul Elmer More, American critic, essayist (d. 1937)
* December 14 – Frank Campeau, American actor (d. 1943)
* December 23 – Princess Zorka of Montenegro (d. 1890)
* December 25 – Thomas Cahill (soccer), Thomas Cahill, American soccer coach (d. 1951)
* December 27 – Peyton C. March, American general (d. 1955)
Date unknown
* Ali Rikabi, 2-time prime minister of Jordan (d. 1943)
Deaths
January–June
*
January 13
Events Pre-1600
* 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years.
* 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the racing ...
–
Stephen Foster, American song composer (b. 1826)
* January 27 – Leo von Klenze, German neoclassicist architect, painter and writer (b. 1784)
* February 7 – Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, Serbian linguist, major reformer of the Serbian language (b. 1787)
* February 22 – James Sewall Reed, U.S. Army officer (in battle) (b. 1832)
*
February 25
Events Pre-1600
* 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor.
* 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.
...
– Anna Harrison, First Lady of the United States (b. 1775)
*
March 10 – King Maximilian II of Bavaria (b. 1811)
* March 28 – Princess Louise Charlotte of Denmark (b. 1789)
* April 4 – Joseph Pitty Couthouy, American naval officer (b. 1808)
* April 14 – Charles Lot Church, Nova Scotia politician (b. 1777)
*
May 2 – Giacomo Meyerbeer, German composer (b. 1791)
*
May 5 – Elizabeth Andrew Warren, Cornish botanist, marine Phycology, algolologist (b. 1786)
*
May 9
Events Pre-1600
* 328 – Athanasius is elected Patriarch of Alexandria.
*1009 – Lombard Revolt: Lombard forces led by Melus revolt in Bari against the Byzantine Catepanate of Italy.
*1386 – England and Portugal formally rati ...
–
John Sedgwick, Union general, American Civil War (b. 1813)
* May 12 –
J. E. B. Stuart
James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833May 12, 1864) was a United States Army officer from Virginia who became a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb,” from the initials of ...
, Confederate cavalry general, American Civil War (b. 1833)
* May 19 – Nathaniel Hawthorne, American author (b. 1804)
*
May 20
Events Pre-1600
* 325 – The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church.
* 491 – Empress Ariadne marries Anastasius I. The widowed '' Augusta'' is able to choose her ...
– John Clare, Northamptonshire peasant poet (b. 1793)
* June 1 – Hong Xiuquan, Chinese rebel (b. 1814)
* June 13 – Henryk Dembiński, Polish engineer (b. 1791)
* June 14 – Patrick Kelly (Civil War), Patrick Kelly, U.S. Army officer (in battle) (b. c. 1822)
*
June 15 – William E. Jones (general), William E. Jones, Confederate general (in battle) (b. 1824)
July–December
* August 3 – Jakob Walter, German stonemason, common draftee (b. 1788)
* August 4 – David Hansemann, Prussian politician (b. 1790)
* August 19 – Trương Định, Vietnamese leader (suicide) (b. 1820)
* September 3 – Emil Oskar Nobel, younger brother of Alfred Nobel (killed in an explosion) (b. 1843)
*
October 1 – Juan José Flores, President of Ecuador (b. 1800)
* October 12 – Roger Taney, Chief Justice of the United States, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (b. 1777)
* November 6 – Tuanku Imam Bonjol, Indonesian religious and military leader (b. 1772)
* November 20 – Albert Newsam, American artist (born 1809)
* November 30
**John Adams (Confederate Army officer), John Adams, Confederate Army officer (killed in action) (b. 1825)
**Patrick Cleburne, Irish soldier, Confederate general (killed in action) (b. 1828)
**States Rights Gist, Confederate General (killed in action) (b. 1831)
* December 1 – William L. Dayton – United States Minister to France (b. 1807)
* December 8 – George Boole, English mathematician, philosopher (b. 1815)
* December 21 – Archduke Louis of Austria (b. 1784)
* December 23 – James Bronterre O'Brien, British Chartist (b. 1804)
* December 24 – Mary Baker (née Willcocks), aka Princess Caraboo (b. 1791)
* December 31 – George M. Dallas, U.S. Senator, List of Vice Presidents of the United States, 11th Vice President of the United States (b. 1792)
Date unknown
* Fu Shanxiang, Chinese scholar, Chancellor (b. 1833)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1864
1864,
Leap years in the Gregorian calendar