Union General John C. Frémont was driving into southwestern Missouri seeking to clear out Confederate influence there.  His advance guard of cavalry under Major Charles Zagonyi was moving ahead of the main force towards the town of Springfield in Greene County. Men of the Missouri State Guard under Colonel Julian Frazier attempted to ambush him outside the town but the Union cavalry dispersed them with a sharp and bloody charge. Zagonyi then advanced to occupy the town briefly before returning to the main Union force.   (By John Osborne) 

Brigadier General M. Jeff Thompson was leading around 1500 Confederate Missourians on a raid into south eastern Missouri. Withdrawing past Frederickstown and learning that two significant Union columns were pursuing him, he turned and attacked around noon just outside the town.  The Union columns outnumbered the Missouri Guard significantly and Thompson's command was driven off during a two hour battle with heavy casualties.  The victory began to cement Union control of that part of Missouri.  (By John Osborne) 

The advance of the continuous telegraph line across the United States, almost complete, reached Salt Lake City.  Immediately, the Mormon leader Brigham Young sent a celebratory message to President Lincoln in Washington DC.  (By John Osborne) 

The University of the Territory of Washington opened its doors on a ten acre site with one academic building, a dormitory, and the president's house, home of first president Daniel Bagley. Thirty students were in attendance taught by two professors.  Seattle was then a town of not much than two hundred people and the growth of the institution was slow.  Thriving by 1895, the university moved to its present location and the old campus swallowed up into central Seattle.  (By John Osborne)  

An explosion of a boiler at the engineering firm of I.P. Morris and Company at Richmond and York Streets in north-east Philadelphia proved fatal for two employees.  Thomas Hibbert and Patrick O'Neil were killed and a third man, John Parker, injured seriously.  (By John Osborne)

Confederate privateer William Smith had been found guilty of piracy in federal court at Philadelphia in October and sentenced to death. The trial caused a sensation in the South and reprisals were threatened against Union prisoners of war.  General John H. Winter visited Libby Prison in Richmond on November 10, 1861 and drew lots among the senior Union prisoners there to select who would be tried as criminals in retaliation.  The trials never took place and the Union reclassified the convicted privateers as prisoners of war, ending the dispute. (By John Osborne) 

The four day trial of Confederate privateer William Smith in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia resulted in a guilty verdict and a death sentence for piracy. The trial caused a sensation in the South and reprisals were threatened against Union prisoners of war.  General John H. Winter visited Libby Prison in Richmond and drew lots from among the senior Union prisoners there to select who would be tried as criminals in retaliation.  The trials never took place and the Union reclassified the convicted privateers as prisoners of war in February, 1862. (By John Osborne) 

The Confederate prize Enchantress was recaptured by the U.S.S. Albatross off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and the prize crew sent to Philadelphia to be tried for piracy. The four day trial of prize captain William Smith in the U.S. District Court there, Justices Grier and Cadwaladar presiding, resulted in a guilty verdict and a sentence of death by hanging. The trial caused a sensation in the South as well as threatened reprisals against Union prisoners of war that resulted in the quashing of the sentence several months later. (By John Osborne)