Birthdays
William Taylor Sullivan Barry
Turns 40 on this date
Zachariah Chandler
Turns 48 on this date
Thomas Casimer Devin
Turns 39 on this date
Emily Dickinson
Turns 31 on this date
William Lloyd Garrison
Turns 56 on this date
Robert Rankin Kirkland
Turns 41 on this date
David Allen Russell
Turns 41 on this date
Events
| Crime/Disasters | In southern Italy, a serious eruption of Mount Vesuvius shatters the town of Torre del Greco |
12/08/1861 to 12/12/1861 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | In Washington, the U.S. House of Representatives votes for a Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War | 12/10/1861 |
| 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 is sitting in Washington, DC |
12/03/1861 to 07/16/1862 |