Birthdays
John Julian Chisolm
Turns 32 on this date
John Thompson Ford
Turns 33 on this date
Edward Johnson
Turns 46 on this date
Caleb Blood Smith
Turns 54 on this date
Orlando Bolivar Wilcox
Turns 39 on this date
Events
| Lawmaking/Litigating | Confederate president Jefferson Davis signs the first Conscription Act in American history | 04/16/1862 |
| US/the World | In London, the U.S. Ambassador meets with the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society | 04/16/1862 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | In Richmond, Virginia, the First Confederate Congress is meeting in its first session |
02/18/1862 to 04/21/1862 |
| Crime/Disasters | Scores of Philadelphia German volunteers drown while crossing the Shenandoah in western Virginia | 04/16/1862 |
| Slavery/Abolition | Slavery is abolished in the District of Columbia | 04/16/1862 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The second session of the 37th Congress is sitting in Washington, DC |
12/03/1861 to 07/16/1862 |
Documents
| Executive record | President Abraham Lincoln, Signing statement for the Bill to Abolish Slavery in the District of Columbia | 04/16/1862 |