1862
Antietam
In a single September day along a Maryland creek, twenty-three thousand men were killed, wounded, or missing - the bloodiest day in American history. Lee's first invasion of the North was turned back. It was barely a Union victory, but it was enough for Lincoln to announce that on January 1 he would free the enslaved.
Bismarck Named Minister-President
Wilhelm I of Prussia, at the end of his patience with a liberal parliament that would not fund his army, summoned Otto von Bismarck and made him minister-president. Within weeks Bismarck told the parliament that German questions would be decided "not by speeches and majority decisions, but by iron and blood." He meant it.
Emancipation Proclamation Announced
Lincoln issued a preliminary proclamation warning that on January 1, 1863, all enslaved people in rebel territory would be "then, thenceforward, and forever free." It was constitutionally shaky and practically limited, but it changed the war's meaning: Union soldiers were now fighting, whether they liked it or not, an army of liberation.
Les Miserables Published
Victor Hugo, from his exile on Guernsey, published his enormous novel of poverty, justice, and the Paris barricades. Hundreds of thousands of copies sold in the first weeks; the book was read aloud in French workers' meetings and in Lincoln's army camps. It was the nineteenth century's most popular work of social conscience.
Cinco de Mayo
At Puebla, Mexican forces under Ignacio Zaragoza repelled a French army sent to collect debts and install Maximilian. It was a local victory and did not prevent the occupation. But the day would be remembered - more enthusiastically north of the Rio Grande than south - as a symbol of Mexican defiance against European armies.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1862?
Saeculum lists 5 curated events from 1862. The most significant is Antietam: In a single September day along a Maryland creek, twenty-three thousand men were killed, wounded, or missing - the bloodiest day in American history.
What era was 1862 part of?
1862 falls within the Industrial Age (1801-1900). Steam, empire, and the unmaking of the old order.
Which regions saw notable events in 1862?
The curated events from 1862 span North America and Europe.