Birthdays
Robert Bridges Forten
Turns 50 on this date
Joshua Giddings Newbold
Turns 33 on this date
James Lawrence Orr
Turns 41 on this date
Events
| Crime/Disasters | Baggage master killed in the wreck of a Michigan Central passenger train near Chicago | 05/12/1863 |
| Battles/Soldiers | In Mississippi, Grant's advance on Vicksburg continues with victory at the Battle of Raymond | 05/12/1863 |
| US/the World | On the African island of Madagascar, King Radamo and his political allies are murdered in a coup led by his Prime Minister | 05/12/1863 |