January 1 –
Abraham Lincoln signs the
Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the
American Civil War, making the abolition of
slavery in the Confederate states an official war goal. It proclaims the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's four million slaves and immediately frees 50,000 of them, with the rest freed as Union armies advance. This event marks the start of America's
Reconstruction Era.[1]
January Uprising: The Polish peasant army, now led by Zygmunt Sierakowski, achieves its first victory over the Russian army, near
Raguva.
April 24 – The
Lieber Code signed and issued by President
Abraham Lincoln to the
Union forces of the United States in the American Civil War constitutes the world's first official comprehensive code of the modern
laws of war.
July 9 – American Civil War: The
Siege of Port Hudson ends, and the Union controls the entire Mississippi River for the first time.
July 13 – American Civil War:
New York City draft riots – In New York City, opponents of
conscription begin 3 days of violent rioting, which will be regarded as the worst in the history of the United States with around 120 killed.
July 18 – American Civil War: The first formal African American military unit, the
54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, unsuccessfully assaults Confederate-held
Fort Wagner but their valiant fighting still proves the worth of African American soldiers during the war. Their commander, Colonel
Robert Shaw, is shot leading the attack, and is buried with his men (450 Union, along with 175 Confederate).
August 8 – American Civil War: Following his defeat in the
Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee sends a letter of resignation to Confederate President
Jefferson Davis (Davis refuses the request upon receipt).
Battle of Lawrence –
Lawrence, Kansas, is attacked by
William Quantrill's raiders, who kill an estimated 200 men and boys. The raid becomes notorious in the North as one of the most vicious atrocities of the Civil War.
American clipper Anglo Saxon (westbound) is captured and burned by
ConfederateprivateerFlorida, off the south coast of Ireland.[12]
August 26 – The Swedish-language liberal newspaper Helsingfors Dagblad proposed the blue-and-white cross flag as the
flag of Finland.[13]
October 26–
29 – The Resolutions of the Geneva International Conference are signed by sixteen countries meeting in
Geneva agreeing to form the
International Red Cross.
November 17 – American Civil War:
Siege of Knoxville – Confederate forces led by General James Longstreet place Knoxville, Tennessee, under siege (the two-week-long siege and an attack are unsuccessful).
November 23 – American Civil War:
Battle of Chattanooga III – Union forces led by General Ulysses S. Grant reinforce troops at Chattanooga, Tennessee, and counter-attack Confederate troops.
November 24 – American Civil War:
Battle of Lookout Mountain – Near Chattanooga, Tennessee, Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant capture Lookout Mountain, and begin to break the Confederate siege of the city, led by General
Braxton Bragg.
November 26 – American Civil War: Mine Run – Union forces under General
George Meade position against troops led by Confederate General Robert E. Lee (Meade's forces can not find any weaknesses in the Confederate lines, and give up trying after five days).
November 27 – American Civil War: Confederate cavalry leader John Hunt Morgan and several of his men escape the Ohio state prison, and return safely to the South.
December 6 – C.S.A.C. Fides Quadrat Intellectum, the First Reformed student society, is founded at the Theologische Universiteit Kampen (Broederweg), in Kampen, the Netherlands.
^Foner, Eric (2010). The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery. New York: Norton. pp. 239–42.
ISBN978-0-393-06618-0.
^
abResoconto del C.omitato cantonale di Soccorso intorno ai sussidi raccolti e distribuiti pei danni cagionati dalle nevi nel gennaio 1863. Lugano: Tip. Cantonale. 1864.
^
abcEverett, Jason M., ed. (2006). "1863". The People's Chronology. Thomson Gale.
^Boissier, Pierre (1985). History of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Volume I: From Solferino to Tsushima. Geneva: Henry Dunant Institute.
ISBN2-88044-012-2.
^Penguin Pocket On This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 2006.
ISBN0-14-102715-0.
^Smith, Peter (2000).
"Ridvan". A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp.
296–297.
ISBN1-85168-184-1.
^Olavi Junnila (1986). "Autonomian rakentaminen ja kansallisen nousun aika". Suomen historia 5 (in Finnish). Helsinki: Weilin + Göös. p. 151.
ISBN951-35-2494-9.
January 1 –
Abraham Lincoln signs the
Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the
American Civil War, making the abolition of
slavery in the Confederate states an official war goal. It proclaims the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's four million slaves and immediately frees 50,000 of them, with the rest freed as Union armies advance. This event marks the start of America's
Reconstruction Era.[1]
January Uprising: The Polish peasant army, now led by Zygmunt Sierakowski, achieves its first victory over the Russian army, near
Raguva.
April 24 – The
Lieber Code signed and issued by President
Abraham Lincoln to the
Union forces of the United States in the American Civil War constitutes the world's first official comprehensive code of the modern
laws of war.
July 9 – American Civil War: The
Siege of Port Hudson ends, and the Union controls the entire Mississippi River for the first time.
July 13 – American Civil War:
New York City draft riots – In New York City, opponents of
conscription begin 3 days of violent rioting, which will be regarded as the worst in the history of the United States with around 120 killed.
July 18 – American Civil War: The first formal African American military unit, the
54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, unsuccessfully assaults Confederate-held
Fort Wagner but their valiant fighting still proves the worth of African American soldiers during the war. Their commander, Colonel
Robert Shaw, is shot leading the attack, and is buried with his men (450 Union, along with 175 Confederate).
August 8 – American Civil War: Following his defeat in the
Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee sends a letter of resignation to Confederate President
Jefferson Davis (Davis refuses the request upon receipt).
Battle of Lawrence –
Lawrence, Kansas, is attacked by
William Quantrill's raiders, who kill an estimated 200 men and boys. The raid becomes notorious in the North as one of the most vicious atrocities of the Civil War.
American clipper Anglo Saxon (westbound) is captured and burned by
ConfederateprivateerFlorida, off the south coast of Ireland.[12]
August 26 – The Swedish-language liberal newspaper Helsingfors Dagblad proposed the blue-and-white cross flag as the
flag of Finland.[13]
October 26–
29 – The Resolutions of the Geneva International Conference are signed by sixteen countries meeting in
Geneva agreeing to form the
International Red Cross.
November 17 – American Civil War:
Siege of Knoxville – Confederate forces led by General James Longstreet place Knoxville, Tennessee, under siege (the two-week-long siege and an attack are unsuccessful).
November 23 – American Civil War:
Battle of Chattanooga III – Union forces led by General Ulysses S. Grant reinforce troops at Chattanooga, Tennessee, and counter-attack Confederate troops.
November 24 – American Civil War:
Battle of Lookout Mountain – Near Chattanooga, Tennessee, Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant capture Lookout Mountain, and begin to break the Confederate siege of the city, led by General
Braxton Bragg.
November 26 – American Civil War: Mine Run – Union forces under General
George Meade position against troops led by Confederate General Robert E. Lee (Meade's forces can not find any weaknesses in the Confederate lines, and give up trying after five days).
November 27 – American Civil War: Confederate cavalry leader John Hunt Morgan and several of his men escape the Ohio state prison, and return safely to the South.
December 6 – C.S.A.C. Fides Quadrat Intellectum, the First Reformed student society, is founded at the Theologische Universiteit Kampen (Broederweg), in Kampen, the Netherlands.
^Foner, Eric (2010). The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery. New York: Norton. pp. 239–42.
ISBN978-0-393-06618-0.
^
abResoconto del C.omitato cantonale di Soccorso intorno ai sussidi raccolti e distribuiti pei danni cagionati dalle nevi nel gennaio 1863. Lugano: Tip. Cantonale. 1864.
^
abcEverett, Jason M., ed. (2006). "1863". The People's Chronology. Thomson Gale.
^Boissier, Pierre (1985). History of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Volume I: From Solferino to Tsushima. Geneva: Henry Dunant Institute.
ISBN2-88044-012-2.
^Penguin Pocket On This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 2006.
ISBN0-14-102715-0.
^Smith, Peter (2000).
"Ridvan". A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp.
296–297.
ISBN1-85168-184-1.
^Olavi Junnila (1986). "Autonomian rakentaminen ja kansallisen nousun aika". Suomen historia 5 (in Finnish). Helsinki: Weilin + Göös. p. 151.
ISBN951-35-2494-9.