Birthdays
Alexander Thomas Augusta
Turns 34 on this date
Grafton Marsh Bosley
Turns 34 on this date
Matthew Calbraith Butler
Turns 23 on this date
Simon Cameron
Turns 60 on this date
William Emory Deal
Turns 19 on this date
John Henry Grabill
Turns 20 on this date
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
Turns 18 on this date
David Smith Terry
Turns 36 on this date
Frank Wilkeson
Turns 11 on this date
Events
| Lawmaking/Litigating | Federal Judge John Cradlebaugh opens grand jury hearings in Provo, Utah on the Mountain Meadows Massacre | 03/08/1859 |
| Education/Culture | Kenneth Grahame, author of "The Wind in the Willows," born in Edinburgh | 03/08/1859 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The Senate of the United States is sitting in a week long special session in Washington, DC |
03/05/1859 to 03/09/1859 |
| Personal | U.S. Postmaster-General Aaron V. Brown dies in office in Washington, DC | 03/08/1859 |
Documents
| Newspaper | Charleston (SC) Mercury, "Slave Stealing in Missouri," March 8, 1859 | 03/08/1859 |