Birthdays
John Wayne Ashmead
Turns 57 on this date
Alexander Robinson Boteler
Turns 48 on this date
Charles Mifflin Boyd
Turns 37 on this date
Martin Robinson Delany
Turns 51 on this date
William Henry Seward
Turns 62 on this date
Edmund Kirby Smith
Turns 39 on this date
Events
| Campaigns/Elections | In Albany, New York, soldiers attack a public meeting protesting the arrest of Clement Vallandigham | 05/16/1863 |
| Battles/Soldiers | In Mississippi, the Army of the Tennessee wins a pivotal battle at Champion Hill and moves on to Vicksburg | 05/16/1863 |
| Crime/Disasters | One man killed and two others injured in a fireworks factory explosion in Queens County, New York | 05/16/1863 |
| Battles/Soldiers | Union forces withdraw from the Mississippi state capital of Jackson after inflicting heavy damage | 05/16/1863 |