The almost 11,000 foot Mount Baker overlooking Puget Sound in the Cascade Mountains of Washington Washington Territory began full volcanic activity and was termed as in full activity on November 22, 1859.  Four days later, passengers on a steamer saw vast plumes of smoke rising from the peak. Activity increased into December towards a full eruption.  (By John Osborne) 

At six o'clock in the morning, local time, an earthquake tremor was felt in the San Francisco Bay area.  Observers reported that the waters of Half Moon Bay "left the bay for several seconds." No casualties or damage were inflicted, however. (By John Osborne)   

The French Navy launched the world's first ocean-going ironclad warship, named La Gloire, at Toulon in southern France. Weighing 5,630 tons, the wooden hull structure was sheathed in iron plates.  La Gloire carried 38 guns and a crew of 570 and was powered with both steam and sail.  Two sister ships were built in 1860 and 1861.  (By John Osborne)

A force of Texas Rangers under Captain W.G. Tobin made an attempt to break the virtual siege of the Brownsville area by the small army Juan Cortina had assembled to assert Mexican rights along the border.  The Cortinistas were waiting, however, and inflicted a heavy defeat on the the Rangers, driving them back into the town.  Brownsville would not be made safe from the Cortina forces until December, when Rangers and U.S. Regulars drove Cortina into Mexico.  (By John Osborne)

With the atmosphere high in Virginia after John Brown's trial, Governor Wise of Virginia warned Governor Packer that Virginians may have to trespass into his state in pursuit of invaders.  He further requested that Packer ensure Pennsylvania not become "dangerous to our peace and safety" by harboring those with designs on Virginia.  Packer answered on December 2, 1859, suggesting Wise was over-reacting to the situation. (By John Osborne)

While most Anglo-Texans saw Juan Nepomuceno Cortina as a border bandit, he was a significant land-owner who considered himself as a guardian of Mexican rights.  While occupying the border city of Brownsville, Texas, with a small army in the fall of 1859 to reinforce his point, he issued the second of two proclamations on November 23, 1857 calling for the Texas state government to respect and protect the rights of Mexican-Americans.  (By John Osborne)  

Zeb Ward, a retired keeper of the Kentucky Penitentiary, wrote to Governor Wise of Virginia that he was sending along a length of rope for the execution of John Brown.  He pledged to Wise that it was "an honest rope."  (By John Osborne)

A bridge near Cambridge City in Indiana was under repair and several rails had been taken up.  A loaded freight train approached the bridge without being warned of the danger and derailed on the span, throwing cars into the river below.  The engineer and the fireman jumped from the locomotive before the accident but the brakeman and the conductor were killed.  (By John Osborne)

A fierce early winter gale blew across the St. Lawrence Seaway in Canada.  Several ships were run aground and others forced to shelter.  (By John Osborne) 

Senator David C. Broderick of California had been killed in a duel near San Francisco ten weeks earlier.  Since he had once been a New York City fireman as well as an influential politician, the fire companies of the city staged a large parade through the streets before thousands of spectators and a memorial service at the University Chapel on Washington Square.  (By John Osborne)