What happened in 1861

13 entries recorded for 1861, listed by date. That was 165 years ago.

1861 at a glance

February 5
United States Congress
Historical event
In a speech before the U.S. Congress, Representative John Edward Bouligny refused to join his fellow Louisiana congressmen in heeding the state's secession convention and resigning.
February 9
Jefferson Davis
Historical event
Jefferson Davis was named the provisional president of the Confederate States of America.

March 20
1861 Mendoza earthquake
Historical event
An earthquake occurred in the Argentine province of Mendoza, causing at least 6,000 deaths and destroying most of the buildings in the province's capital city.
March 21
Alexander H. Stephens
Historical event
Alexander H. Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States of America, gave an extemporaneous speech laying out the Confederacy's rationale for seceding from the United States.
March 30
William Crookes
Historical event
British chemist William Crookes published his discovery of thallium using flame spectroscopy.

April 12
Confederate States of America
Historical event
Confederate forces began a bombardment of Fort Sumter in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, starting the American Civil War.
April 19
American Civil War
Historical event
The first bloodshed of the American Civil War took place when Confederate sympathizers in Baltimore, Maryland, attacked members of the Massachusetts militia en route to Washington, D.C.

June 1
Battle of Fairfax Court House (1861)
Historical event
The first land battle of the American Civil War after Fort Sumter took place in the village of Fairfax, Virginia.
June 10
American Civil War
Historical event
American Civil War: The Confederate Army only suffered eight casualties in its victory at the Battle of Big Bethel in York County, Virginia.
June 17
American Civil War
Historical event
American Civil War: The Battle of Vienna, Virginia, took place, which involved one of the world's first military movements of troops by train.

August 10
American Civil War
Historical event
American Civil War: The first major battle west of the Mississippi River, the Battle of Wilson's Creek, was fought.

November 7
American Civil War
Historical event
American Civil War: Future U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant engaged in his first combat leadership role in the Battle of Belmont in Mississippi County, Missouri.

December 10
Nguyễn Trung Trực
Historical event
Militia forces led by Nguyễn Trung Trực, an anti-colonial leader in southern Vietnam, sank the French lorcha L'Esperance.

This site records 13 entries for 1861, including United States Congress on February 5. They are listed below by date.

165 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1861 turns 165 this year.

1861 falls in the 19th century, in the 1860s.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.