Birthdays
John Brewer Brown
Turns 25 on this date
William McClanahan Busey
Turns 18 on this date
Howard Copeland
Turns 33 on this date
William Hamilton Getzendaner
Turns 27 on this date
Jacob V. Gotwalts
Turns 21 on this date
Zebulon Baird Vance
Turns 31 on this date
Events
| US/the World | A royal proclamation from London declares Britain neutral in the American war | 05/13/1861 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The Congress of the Confederate States is sitting in special session session in Montgomery, Alabama |
04/30/1861 to 05/20/1861 |
| Science/Technology | The Great Comet of 1861 first discovered in the skies over Australia | 05/13/1861 |
Documents
| Newspaper | Boston (MA) Herald, “Union in California,” May 13, 1861 | 05/13/1861 |
| Newspaper | Charleston (SC) Mercury, “A Sucking Nelson,” May 13, 1861 | 05/13/1861 |