WHAT ALL HAPPENED JULY TO DECEMBER 1861
Find out what all happened July to December 1861

American Civil War: at the order of President Abraham Lincoln, Union troops begin a 25 mile march into Virginia for what will become the First Battle of Bull Run, the first major land battle of the war. (16. July 1861)

American Civil War: First Battle of Bull Run – at Manassas Junction, Virginia, the first major battle of the war begins and ends in a victory for the Confederate army. (21. July 1861)

The Toronto Stock Exchange is created. (25. October 1861)

American Civil War: George B. McClellan assumes command of the Army of the Potomac following a disastrous Union defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run. (26. July 1861)

American Civil War: Forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant bloodlessly capture Paducah, Kentucky, which gives the Union control of the mouth of the Tennessee River. (6. September 1861)

American Civil War: The "Trent Affair" – The USS San Jacinto stops the British mail ship Trent and arrests two Confederate envoys, sparking a diplomatic crisis between the UK and US. (8. November 1861)

American Civil War: Battle of Ball's Bluff – Union forces under Colonel Edward Baker are defeated by Confederate troops in the second major battle of the war. Baker, a close friend of Abraham Lincoln, is killed in the fighting. (21. October 1861)

The University of Washington opens in Seattle, Washington as the Territorial University. (4. November 1861)

American Civil War: Secession ordinance is filed by Kentucky's Confederate government. (20. November 1861)

The Pony Express officially ceases operations. (26. October 1861)

American Civil War: The United States Congress passes the Crittenden-Johnson Resolution, stating that the war is being fought to preserve the Union and not to end slavery. (25. July 1861)

American Civil War: Union forces attack Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. (27. August 1861)

19 people are killed in the Cullin-La-Ringo massacre, the deadliest massacre of Europeans by aborigines in Australian history. (17. October 1861)

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus in Washington, D.C., for all military-related cases. (23. October 1861)

American Civil War: The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War is established by the U.S. Congress. (9. December 1861)

American Civil War: Battle of Santa Rosa Island – Union troops repel a Confederate attempt to capture Fort Pickens. (9. October 1861)

American Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis appoints Judah Benjamin secretary of war. (21. November 1861)

American Civil War: Jefferson Davis is elected president of the Confederate States of America. (6. November 1861)

American Civil War: Battle of Wilson's Creek – the war enters Missouri when a band of raw Confederate troops defeat Union forces in the southwestern part of the state. (10. August 1861)

Medal of Honor: Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for a Navy Medal of Valor, is signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln. (21. December 1861)