| Personal |
|
William T. Sherman, teaching in Louisiana, writes to his wife with cynicism about the upcoming election |
| Battles/Soldiers |
|
William Tecumseh Sherman takes command of the Department of the Cumberland, replacing Robert Anderson |
| Battles/Soldiers |
|
William Walker and 45 followers invade Baja California, in northwestern Mexico |
| Lawmaking/Litigating |
|
William Walker and his companions are indicted in New Orleans under the Neutrality Laws |
| Battles/Soldiers |
|
William Walker and his fellow filibusters leave Baja California for Sonora |
| Military/Violent |
|
William Walker and his followers surrender to an American naval squadron and are returned to the United States |
| Battles/Soldiers |
|
William Walker and his men capture Trujillo on the Honduran coast |
| Battles/Soldiers |
|
William Walker captures the Nicaraguan capital of Granada |
| Personal |
|
William Walker is born in Nashville, Tennessee |
| Military/Violent |
|
William Walker is driven from Mexico and taken into custody by the U.S. military |
| Military/Violent |
|
William Walker is elected president of Nicaragua |
| Battles/Soldiers |
|
William Walker launches another fillibustering attempt against Nicaragua from New Orleans |
| Battles/Soldiers |
|
William Walker sails from New Orleans for Honduras on his last filibustering expedition |
| Slavery/Abolition |
|
William Walker's filibuster government in Nicaragua repeals the abolition of slavery in that country |
| Crime/Disasters |
|
William Walker's latest filibustering attempt ends before it begins with arrest by U.S. Marshals |
| Cultural |
-
|
William Wordsworth's private library of three thousand volumes sold at auction in England |
| Personal |
|
William Wright, sitting Democratic U.S. Senator from New Jersey, dies at his home in Newark. |
| Business/Industry |
|
William Wrigley, Jr., founder of Wrigley's Gum and famous owner of the Chicago Cubs born in Philadelphia |
| Science/Technology |
|
Williams College scientific expedition leaves Maine for Greenland |
| Education/Culture |
|
Willie Park, Sr. wins the first British Open by shooting 174 over 36 holes |
| Science/Technology |
|
Winter begins |
| Crime/Disasters |
-
|
Winter gale causes havoc to shipping on the St. Lawrence Seaway in Canada |
| Personal |
|
Wisconsin Governor Louis P. Harvey drowns in the Tennessee River while visiting Wisconsin troops |
| Lawmaking/Litigating |
|
Wisconsin Governor William Barstow resigns after State Supreme Court ruling |
| Campaigns/Elections |
|
Wisconsin Republicans support William Seward for President |
| Religion/Philosophy |
|
With a presidential proclamation, Abraham Lincoln calls for a day of "humiliation, prayer, and fasting" |
| Campaigns/Elections |
|
With African-Americans voting in large numbers, Republican make sweeping gains in the Washington D.C. municipal elections. |
| Education/Culture |
|
With benefactor George Peabody in attendance, the Peabody Institute is officially inaugurated in Baltimore. |
| Education/Culture |
|
With great ceremony, Australian explorers Burke and Wills are buried in Melbourne, Australia |
| Lawmaking/Litigating |
|
With great ceremony, Queen Victoria opens the new session of the British Parliament in London. |
