Birthdays
John Snyder Carlile
Turns 44 on this date
Alfred Creigh
Turns 51 on this date
John Ewen
Turns 53 on this date
Samuel Garland Jr.
Turns 31 on this date
Henry Heth
Turns 36 on this date
Myer Strouse
Turns 36 on this date
Events
| Battles/Soldiers | In Missouri, Union troops searching for Confederate guerrillas burn most of Platte City to the ground | 12/16/1861 |
| US/the World | In Vietnam, French forces under Rear Admiral Louis-Adolph Bonard besiege and capture Bien-Hoa |
12/14/1861 to 12/18/1861 |
| 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 |
| Education/Culture | Seneca Indian runner Deerfoot ends his first season in England winning thirteen of fifteen races | 12/16/1861 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The second session of the 37th Congress is sitting in Washington, DC |
12/03/1861 to 07/16/1862 |