What happened in 1862
31 entries recorded for 1862, listed by date. That was 164 years ago.
1862 at a glance
- Years ago
- 164 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 19th century
- Decade
- 1860s
- Generation born
- Before the named generations
- Entries here
- 31
- Breakdown
- 31 historical events
January
- January 16
Coal mining
A pumping engine at a colliery in New Hartley, England, broke and fell down the shaft, trapping miners below and resulting in 204 deaths.
- January 30
United States Navy
The United States Navy launched USS Monitor (pictured), the first American ironclad warship.
February
- February 3
Moldavia
Moldavia and Wallachia formally united, creating the Romanian United Principalities.
- February 6
Union (American Civil War)
Union forces earned one of their first important victories in the American Civil War at the Battle of Fort Henry in western Tennessee.
- February 10
American Civil War
American Civil War: A Union naval flotilla destroyed the bulk of the Confederate Mosquito Fleet in the Battle of Elizabeth City on the Pasquotank River in North Carolina.
- February 16
American Civil War
American Civil War: A Union victory at the Battle of Fort Donelson gave General Ulysses S. Grant the nickname "Unconditional Surrender".
- February 21
American Civil War
American Civil War: The Confederate Army began an attempt to gain control of the Southwest with a major victory in the Battle of Valverde.
March
- March 9
American Civil War
American Civil War: In the world's first battle between two ironclad warships, USS Monitor and CSS Virginia fought to a draw near the mouth of Hampton Roads in Virginia.
April
- April 7
American Civil War
American Civil War: Union forces defeated Confederate troops at the Battle of Shiloh, at the time the bloodiest battle in U.S. history, in Hardin County, Tennessee.
- April 16
Washington, D.C.
Slavery in Washington, D.C., ended when the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act became law.
May
- May 15
Fertilisation of Orchids
Fertilisation of Orchids, the first book by Charles Darwin which demonstrated the power of natural selection in detail, was published.
- May 23
American Civil War
American Civil War: Confederate troops under Stonewall Jackson defeated a Union force at the Battle of Front Royal in Virginia, taking around 700 prisoners.
- May 31
American Civil War
American Civil War: Confederate troops under Joseph E. Johnston and G. W. Smith engaged Union forces under George B. McClellan at the Battle of Seven Pines outside Richmond, Virginia.
June
- June 5
Trương Định
Vietnamese guerrilla leader Trương Định chose to fight on against European forces, defying Emperor Tự Đức and the Treaty of Saigon.
- June 8
American Civil War
American Civil War: The Confederate Army won a resounding victory at the Battle of Cross Keys, one of the two decisive battles in Jackson's Valley campaign.
- June 9
American Civil War
American Civil War: Confederate General Stonewall Jackson concluded his successful Shenandoah Valley campaign with a victory in the Battle of Port Republic.
July
- July 1
American Civil War
American Civil War: Confederate general Robert E. Lee launched a series of disjointed and ultimately unsuccessful assaults on the nearly impregnable Union position on Malvern Hill in Henrico County, Virginia.
- July 4
River Thames
In a boat on the River Thames from Oxford to Godstow, author Lewis Carroll told Alice Liddell (pictured) and her sisters a story that later formed the basis for his book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
- July 17
Garrote
The garrotting and robbery of James Pilkington, a British member of Parliament, led to a moral panic in London.
August
September
- September 1
American Civil War
American Civil War: Confederate forces attacked retreating troops (map shown) of the Union army during a rainstorm in Chantilly, Virginia, but the battle ended inconclusively.
- September 15
American Civil War
American Civil War: Confederate forces captured the Union garrison at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, taking more than 12,000 prisoners.
- September 17
American Civil War
American Civil War: Almost 23,000 total casualties were suffered at the Battle of Antietam near Sharpsburg, Maryland, where Confederate and Union troops fought to a tactical stalemate.
October
- October 4
American Civil War
American Civil War: After a naval battle in Galveston Harbor, Texas, Confederate commanders negotiated the surrender of the city to Union forces.
- October 8
American Civil War
In the American Civil War, the Battle of Perryville was fought west of Perryville, Kentucky.
December
- December 7
American Civil War
American Civil War: The Battle of Prairie Grove ended a Confederate attempt to regain control of northwestern Arkansas.
- December 13
American Civil War
American Civil War: Union forces under Ambrose Burnside suffered severe casualties against entrenched Confederate defenders at the Battle of Fredericksburg in Virginia.
- December 17
American Civil War
American Civil War: Union General Ulysses S. Grant issued General Order No. 11, expelling Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky.
- December 26
American Civil War
American Civil War: The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou began with Confederate defenders engaging Union forces who were attempting to capture the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi.
- December 28
American Civil War
American Civil War: Union forces defeated a Confederate cavalry unit in the Van Buren raid, capturing three steamboats, Confederate troops, and various supplies.
- December 31
Battle of Stones River
The Battle of Stones River in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, began with an engagement in which both sides would suffer their highest casualty rates in the American Civil War.
Questions about 1862
What happened in 1862?
This site records 31 entries for 1862, including Coal mining on January 16. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 1862?
164 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1862 turns 164 this year.
Which century is 1862 in?
1862 falls in the 19th century, in the 1860s.
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