37th United States Congress - Major Events

Major Events

  • March 1861 – July 1861:
    • Jefferson Davis extends martial law from Norfolk to Richmond, calls up 100,000 militia;
    • Rebels fire on Fort Sumter, SC. Lincoln suspends habeas corpus from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia and calls up 75,000 militia.
    • Four more Southern states saw members withdraw from Congress:
      • Virginia Secession Convention enacts an Ordinance of Secession on April 17; ratified by popular referendum on May 23.
      • Arkansas Secession Convention enacted an Ordinance of Secession on May 6.
      • Tennessee Secession Convention enacted an Ordinance of Secession on May 6; ratified by popular referendum on June 8.
      • North Carolina Secession Convention enacted an Ordinance of Secession on May 20.
    • Partial state delegations remaining:
      • Senators from Virginia (2 replaced) and Tennessee (1)
      • Representatives from Virginia (5 of 12), Tennessee (3 of 10) Louisiana (2 of 4).
    • Union forces lose the First Battle of Bull Run.
  • August 1861 – March 1862:
    • Union blockade of the South begins at Fort Monroe, Va; Davis begins suspending habeas corpus at Norfolk.
    • Union forces win Mississippi River Fort Henry, Tn and Fort Donelson, Tn;
    • Ironclad USS Monitor maintains blockade in the Hampton Roads, Va; Union forces take Port Royal, SC. Davis initiates conscription.
  • April 1862 – August 1862:
    • Union forces capture New Orleans, La; Rebels turned back at Shiloh, Tn.
    • Union blockade closes Savannah, Ga; Union forces occupy upper Mississippi River Island #10, Tn.
    • Union forces lose Peninsular Campaign to capture Richmond; Union forces lose Battle of Second Bull Run.
  • September 1862 – March 1863:
    • Rebel invasion turned back at Antietam, Md; Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.
    • In midterm elections, Democrats gain 31 House seats to 31%, lose 5 Senate seats to 19%.
    • Union forces lose at Fredericksburg, Va; Rebels lose at Murfreesboro, Tn; Lincoln initiates conscription.

Read more about this topic:  37th United States Congress

Famous quotes containing the words major and/or events:

    “You should hurry up ... and acquire the cigar habit. It’s one of the major happinesses. And so much more lasting than love, so much less costly in emotional wear and tear.”
    —Aldous Huxley (1894–1963)

    “This is certainly not the place for a discourse about what festivals are for. Discussions on this theme were plentiful during that phase of preparation and on the whole were fruitless. My experience is that discussion is fruitless. What sets forth and demonstrates is the sight of events in action, is living through these events and understanding them.”
    —Doris Lessing (b. 1919)