Birthdays
John James Abert
Turns 73 on this date
William Tell Barnitz
Turns 30 on this date
John Brough
Turns 50 on this date
Franklin Buchanan
Turns 61 on this date
Lucius Quintus Lamar
Turns 36 on this date
Augustus Marion Sawyer
Turns 30 on this date
Earl Van Dorn
Turns 41 on this date
Events
| Education/Culture | In Hampton, Virginia, Mary Smith Peake teaches her first classes for "contrabands" | 09/17/1861 |
| Crime/Disasters | Troop train crashes through a bridge near Huron, Indiana, killing eighteen Illinois soldiers and injuring many more | 09/17/1861 |