James Bruce, Lord Elgin, had recently been appointed as Governor-General and Viceroy of India to replace the retiring Earl Canning and arrived this day in Calcutta to take up his duties.  He had previously served as Governor-General of Canada between 1847 and 1854 and had been High Commissioner to China during the recent wars there.  He sat as Viceroy for twenty months and died in the Punjab in November 1863, aged fifty-two.  (By John Osborne)  

The Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne, began a tour of Greece and the Middle East. Travelling as usual as "Baron Renfrew," his schedule included Egypt, Syria, Palestine, the Holy Land, and, during his return, Istanbul and Athens.  His journey took around five months and was said to be the first visit of a British royal family member to the area since the Crusades.  (By John Osborne)

In the face of the continued advance of Union General Don Carlos Buell, Confederate commander General Albert S. Johnston ordered the evacuation of unfortified Nashville, Tennessee.  Two days later, U.S. Army units under General William Nelson landed by steamer and took possession of the Tennessee capital, the first Confederate capital and major city to fall to the Union. (By John Osborne) 

Confederate commander General Albert S. Johnston had ordered the evacuation of Nashville, Tennessee two days before.  U.S. Army units under General William Nelson landed by steamer from the Cumberland River and took possession of the Tennessee capital, the first Confederate capital and major city to fall to the Union.  Nashville served as an importent Union supply and transportation center for the remainder of the war.  (By John Osborne) 

Cornelius Conway Felton had been inaugurated as the 19th president of Harvard University in July, 1860, on the day following the institution's 216th Commencement.  Less than two years later, after exhibiting symptoms of overwork and heart disease, he died at Chester, Pennyslvania, aged 55,  while visiting his brother for a period of rest.  The loss shook the institution and it was not until October 6, 1862 that Thomas Hill became the 20th Harvard president.  (By John Osborne) 

In one of the heaviest ever disasters to the Gloucester area fishing industry, one hundred and twenty-eight fishermen were lost on Georges Bank off the Massachusetts coast in the storms tormenting much of the north-east.  The Gloucester fleet had been fishing on the Bank in excellent winter weather for several weeks when the storm struck.  Nine vessels sank with all hands and several more lost men overboard. (By John Osborne)   

Fanned by the high winds blowing across much of the north-eastern United States, a fire broke out around the docks in Boston in the late evening and raged intensely until around three in the morning the next day.  Damage to warehouses and streets near the harbor was massive and estimated to reach a value of more than half a million dollars.  A snowstorm, with hail, also hampered the firemen fighting the blaze and two were killed and several injured in the attempt.  

In keeping with a proclamation from the newly inaugurated President of the Confederate States, Jefferson Davis, a day of "humiliation, prayer, and thanksgiving before God" was observed across the South.  Davis intended the event to mark the installation of the new permanent government and a rededication of the citizenry to the new state but recent defeats in Tennessee and North Carolina added to the surrounding atmosphere.  (By John OSborne)