Birthdays
Rufus Barringer
Turns 40 on this date
Charles Garrison Harker
Turns 26 on this date
Lewis Hayden
Turns 50 on this date
Events
| Crime/Disasters | In Belgium, a huge and fatal fire burns Antwerp's largest sugar refinery | 12/02/1861 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | In Wheeling, the elected West Virginia convention is meeting to write a constitution for the new state |
11/26/1861 to 02/18/1862 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The second session of the 37th Congress opens in Washington, DC | 12/02/1861 |