View source for 1863

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2011}}
{{Year dab|1863}}
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{{C19 year in topic}}
'''1863''' ([[Roman numerals|MDCCCLXIII]]) was {{Year article header/zc|1863}}.
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== Events ==
[[File:Transcontinental railroad route.png|thumb|180px|right| [[January 8]]: [[First transcontinental railroad]]]]

===January===
* [[January 1]] &ndash; [[Abraham Lincoln]] signs the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] during the third year of the [[American Civil War]], making the abolition of [[slavery]] in the [[Confederate States of America]] an official war goal. The signing proclaimed the freedom of 3.1&nbsp;million of the nation's four million slaves and immediately frees 50,000 of them, with the rest freed as the [[Union Army]] advances. This event marks the start of America's [[Reconstruction era|Reconstruction Era]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Eric|last=Foner|title=The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery|location=New York|publisher=Norton|year=2010|isbn=978-0-393-06618-0|pages=239–42}}</ref>
* [[January 2]] &ndash; Master Lucius Tar Paint  Company (''Teerfarbenfabrik Meister Lucius''), predecessor of [[Hoechst AG|Hoechst]], as a worldwide [[Chemical|chemical manufacturing brand]], founded in a suburb of [[Frankfurt am Main]], [[Germany]].{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}   
* [[January 4]] &ndash; Founding date of the [[New Apostolic Church]], a Christian and [[chiliastic]] church, in a [[schism]] with the [[Catholic Apostolic Church]] in [[Hamburg]], Germany.
* [[January 7]] &ndash; In the [[Cantons of Switzerland|Swiss canton]] of [[Ticino]], the village of [[Bedretto]] is partly destroyed and 29 killed by an [[avalanche]].<ref name=Resoconto>{{cite book|title=Resoconto del C.omitato cantonale di Soccorso intorno ai sussidi raccolti e distribuiti pei danni cagionati dalle nevi nel gennaio 1863|location=Lugano|publisher=Tip. Cantonale|year=1864}}</ref>
* [[January 8]]
** The [[Yorkshire County Cricket Club]] is founded at the [[Adelphi Hotel (Sheffield)|Adelphi Hotel]], in [[Sheffield]], England.
** American Civil War: The [[Second Battle of Springfield]] takes place near [[Springfield, Missouri]]. Fighting for the Union, General Egbert B. Brown leads the Missouri militia to victory over Confederate General [[John S. Marmaduke]] and the [[18th Arkansas Infantry Regiment (Marmaduke's)|18th Arkansas Infantry]].
* [[January 10]] &ndash; The first section of the [[London Underground]] Railway ([[Paddington tube station (Circle and Hammersmith & City lines)|Paddington]] to [[Farringdon station|Farringdon Street]]) opens officially.<ref name="The People's Chronology">{{cite book|chapter=1863|title=The People's Chronology|editor=Everett, Jason M.|publisher=Thomson Gale|year=2006}}</ref>
[[File:Bombardment and capture of Fort Hindman, Arkansas Post, Ark. Jany. 11th 1863 LCCN90711974 (cropped).jpg|thumb|190px|right| [[January 11|Jan.11]]: [[Battle of Arkansas Post (1863)|Battle of Arkansas Post]].]]
* [[January 11]]
** American Civil War: [[Battle of Arkansas Post (1863)|Battle of Arkansas Post]] &ndash; General [[John McClernand]] and Admiral [[David Dixon Porter]] capture the [[Arkansas River]] for the Union.
** In the Swiss canton of Ticino, the roof of the church of Sant'Antonio in [[Locarno]] collapses under the weight of snow, killing 47.<ref name=Resoconto/>
* [[January 15]] &ndash; [[Second French intervention in Mexico|French intervention in Mexico]]: French forces bombard [[Veracruz, Veracruz|Veracruz]].
* [[January 21]] &ndash; [[Adam Opel]] founds [[Opel]] in Germany, originally for the manufacture of sewing machines.
* [[January 22]] &ndash; The [[January Uprising]] breaks out in Poland, [[Lithuania]] and [[Belarus]]. The aim of the national movement is to liberate the [[Polish–Lithuanian–Ruthenian Commonwealth]] from Russian occupation.
* [[January 29]] &ndash; [[American Indian Wars]] &ndash; [[Bear River Massacre]]: The [[United States Army]], led by General [[Patrick Edward Connor]], massacres Chief [[Bear Hunter]] and forces of the [[Shoshone]], in the [[Idaho Territory]].
* [[January 31]] &ndash; [[Jules Verne]]'s first adventure novel, ''[[Five Weeks in a Balloon]]'' (''Cinq semaines en ballon''), is published in Paris.

===February===
* [[February 1]] &ndash; Radicals in Lithuania, Belarus, Latvia, northern Ukraine and western Russia join the [[January Uprising]].
* [[February 2]] &ndash; [[January Uprising]]: Polish peasants are massacred by Russian hussars at Čysta Būda, near [[Marijampolė]].
[[File:HMS Orpheus.jpg|thumb|190px|right| [[February 7]]: [[HMS Orpheus (1861)|HMS ''Orpheus'']] sinks.]]
* [[February 7]] &ndash; {{HMS|Orpheus|1860|6}} sinks while attempting to enter [[Manukau Harbour]] in New Zealand, with the loss of 189 lives.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New Zealand's worst shipwreck {{!}} NZ History |url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/sinking-of-hms-em-orpheus-em-nzs-worst-shipwreck |access-date=2025-07-18 |website=nzhistory.govt.nz}}</ref>
* [[February 10]] &ndash; Alanson Crane of Virginia patents a [[fire extinguisher]].
* [[February 17]] &ndash; The "Committee of the Five" holds their first meeting in [[Geneva]], Switzerland, which is regarded as the foundation of the [[International Committee of the Red Cross]], following the lead of humanitarian businessman [[Henry Dunant]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Pierre|last=Boissier|title=History of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Volume I: From Solferino to Tsushima|publisher=Henry Dunant Institute|location=Geneva|year=1985|isbn=2-88044-012-2}}</ref>
* [[February 24]] &ndash; [[Arizona Territory|Arizona]] is organized as a [[Territories of the United States|United States territory]].
* [[February 26]] &ndash; Abraham Lincoln signs the [[National Banking Act]] into law.	

===March===
* [[March 3]]
** [[Idaho Territory]] is organized by the [[Congress of the United States|U.S. Congress]].
** The U.S. [[Enrollment Act|National Conscription Act]] is signed, leading to the [[New York City draft riots]] in July.
* [[March 10]] &ndash; Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later [[Edward VII]] of the United Kingdom) marries [[Alexandra of Denmark|Princess Alexandra of Denmark]] (later Queen Alexandra).<ref name="Pocket On This Day">{{cite book|title=Penguin Pocket On This Day|publisher=Penguin Reference Library|isbn=0-14-102715-0|year=2006}}</ref>
* [[March 14]] &ndash; [[Queen Victoria]] issues [[Letters Patent]] granting [[Goulburn]] city status, making it Australia's first inland city.
* [[March 19]] &ndash; The {{SS|Georgiana}} is destroyed on her maiden voyage while attempting to run the [[blockade]] into [[Charleston, South Carolina]]. The wreck is discovered exactly 102 years later, by [[E. Lee Spence]].
* [[March 25]] &ndash; U.S. Army Private [[Jacob Parrott]], a soldier in "[[Great Locomotive Chase|Andrews' Raiders]]", becomes the first person to receive the [[Medal of Honor]], presented by U.S. Secretary of War [[Edwin M. Stanton]] to six of the Raiders. Parrott is followed that day by six others.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pittenger |first=William |author-link=William Pittenger (soldier) |date=1885 |title=The great locomotive chase; a history of the Andrews railroad raid into Georgia in 1862,. |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/02020072/ |location=New York |publisher=J.B. Alden |pages=412–413}}</ref>
* [[March 30]] &ndash; Prince Wilhelm George of [[Monarchy of Denmark|Denmark]] is elected at the age of 17 by the [[Hellenic Parliament]] as [[George I of Greece|George, King of the Hellenes]]; he will reign in Greece for 50 years. He arrives in [[Athens]] on [[October 30]] to take the throne.
	
===April===
* [[April 13]] – The [[Winged Victory of Samothrace]], one of the most significant sculptures of classical antiquity, is found in excavations on the Greek island of [[Samothrace]] by Charles Champoiseau. Made c.[[190 BC]], it is shipped to the [[Louvre]] in Paris.
* [[April 14]] &ndash; The [[Treaty of Huế (1863)|Treaty of Huế]] is signed between [[Vietnam]] and the [[French colonial empire|French Empire]].
* [[April 17]]&ndash;[[May 2]] &ndash; [[American Civil War]]: [[Grierson's Raid]] &ndash; [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] cavalrymen are ambushed while crossing the [[Tickfaw River]] in [[Mississippi]].
* [[April 20]]
** American Civil War: The [[Battle of Washington]] ends inconclusively in [[Beaufort County, North Carolina]].
** The [[Augustus of Prima Porta]], one of the most significant sculptures of classical antiquity, is found in excavations in the [[Villa of Livia]] at [[Prima Porta]], near Rome.
* [[April 21]]
** {{Lang|ar-Latn|Ayyam-i butun}}: [[Bahá'u'lláh]] begins a 12-day stay in the [[Garden of Ridván, Baghdad|Najibiyyih gardens, Baghdad]] (later known as the Garden of Ridván) during which he declares his station as ''[[He whom God shall make manifest]]''. This date is celebrated in the [[Baháʼí Faith]] as the festival of [[Ridván]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Smith|first=Peter|encyclopedia=A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith|title=Ridvan|year=2000|publisher=Oneworld Publications|location=Oxford|pages=[https://archive.org/details/conciseencyclope0000smit/page/296 296–297]|isbn=1-85168-184-1|url=https://archive.org/details/conciseencyclope0000smit/page/296}}</ref>
** [[January Uprising]]: The Polish peasant army, now led by Zygmunt Sierakowski, achieves its first victory over the Russian army, near [[Raguva]].
* [[April 24]] &ndash; The [[Lieber Code]] signed and issued by President [[Abraham Lincoln]] to the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] forces of the United States in the American Civil War constitutes the world's first official comprehensive code of the modern [[laws of war]].
* [[April 30]] &ndash; [[Battle of Camarón]] in Mexico: 65 soldiers of the [[French Foreign Legion]] fight 2,000 Mexicans.	

===May===
* [[May 1]]&ndash;[[May 4|4]] &ndash; American Civil War: [[Battle of Chancellorsville]] &ndash; General [[Robert E. Lee]] defeats Union forces with 13,000 Confederate casualties, among them [[Stonewall Jackson]] (fatally wounded by friendly fire), and 17,500 Union casualties.
* [[May 8]]
** The [[Granadine Confederation]] becomes the [[United States of Colombia]], under [[President of Colombia|President]] [[Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera]].
** [[January Uprising]]: The Polish insurgent army is defeated by the Russians near Gudiškis.
* [[May 14]] &ndash; American Civil War: [[Battle of Jackson, Mississippi]] &ndash; Union General [[Ulysses S. Grant]] defeats Confederate General [[Joseph E. Johnston]], opening the way for the [[siege of Vicksburg]].
[[File:Edouard Manet - Luncheon on the Grass - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|190px|[[May 17]]: [[Édouard Manet|Manet]]'s ''[[Le déjeuner sur l'herbe]]'' exhibited.]]
* [[May 17]]
** After a 2-month siege, the French army of [[Achille Bazaine|Bazaine]] takes [[Puebla, Puebla|Puebla]], Mexico.
** The opening of [[Salon des Refusés]] in Paris draws attention to paintings by [[avant-garde]] artists, notably [[Édouard Manet|Manet]]'s_ ''[[Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe]]''.
* [[May 18]] &ndash; American Civil War: The [[Battle of Vicksburg|siege of Vicksburg]] begins (ends [[July 4]], when 30,189 Confederate men surrender).
* [[May 21]] &ndash; 
** American Civil War: The [[siege of Port Hudson]], Louisiana, by Union forces begins.
** The [[General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists]] is formed in [[Battle Creek, Michigan]].
* [[May 23]] &ndash; [[Ferdinand Lassalle]] founds the {{Lang|de|Allgemeiner Deutscher Arbeiterverein}} ([[General German Workers' Association]], ADAV), the first socialist workers party in Germany.
* [[May 27]] &ndash; [[Afghan Civil War (1863–1869)|Afghan Civil War (1863-1869)]]: [[Herat campaign of 1862–1863|Herat is captured]] by the forces of [[Dost Mohammad Khan]].
* [[May 28]] &ndash; American Civil War: The [[54th Massachusetts]], the first [[African-American]] regiment, leaves [[Boston]] to fight for the Union.
* [[May 31]] &ndash; The first [[Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe]] horse race is held.

===June===
* [[June 7]] &ndash; [[Second French intervention in Mexico|French intervention in Mexico]]: French forces enter Mexico City.
* [[June 9]] &ndash; American Civil War: The [[Battle of Brandy Station]], [[Virginia]], ends inconclusively.
* [[June 12]] &ndash; [[The Arts Club]] is founded by [[Charles Dickens]], [[Frederic Leighton]] and others in [[Hanover Square, Westminster|Hanover Square]], London.
* [[June 13]] &ndash; [[Samuel Butler (novelist)|Samuel Butler]]'s [[dystopia]]n article "[[Darwin among the Machines]]" is published (under the pen name ''Cellarius'') in ''[[The Press]]'' newspaper in [[Christchurch]], New Zealand; it will be incorporated into his novel ''[[Erewhon]]'' (1872).
*[[American Civil War]]: 
** [[June 14]] &ndash; [[Second Battle of Winchester]] &ndash; A [[United States|Union]] garrison is defeated by the [[Army of Northern Virginia]] in the [[Shenandoah Valley]] town of [[Winchester, Virginia]].
** [[June 17]] &ndash; The [[Battle of Aldie]] in the [[Gettysburg campaign]] ends inconclusively.
* [[June 27]] &ndash; The [[Chōshū Five]] leave Japan secretly to study at [[University College London]], which is part of the ending of [[sakoku]].
* [[June 20]] &ndash; [[West Virginia]] is admitted as the 35th [[U.S. state]].

===July===
* [[July]] &ndash; First successful test of the [[Confederate States of America]] hand-propelled [[submarine]] ''[[H. L. Hunley (submarine)|H. L. Hunley]]''.<ref name=Hunley>{{cite book|title=The H. L. Hunley: the Secret Hope of the Confederacy|first=Tom|last=Chaffin|location=New York|publisher=Hill and Wang|year=2008|isbn=978-0-8090-9512-4|url=https://archive.org/details/hlhunleysecretho00chaf}}</ref>
* [[July 1]]
** Slavery is abolished in the [[Dutch Empire|Dutch colonies]] of [[Suriname]] (independent from [[1975]]) and [[Curaçao and Dependencies]].
** The [[Kingston loop line]] of the [[London and South Western Railway]] opens.
[[File:Battle of Gettysburg.jpg|thumb|190px|July: [[Battle of Gettysburg]].]]

*[[American Civil War]]: 
**[[July 1]]&ndash;[[July 3|3]] &ndash; [[Battle of Gettysburg]] &ndash; Union forces under [[George G. Meade]] turn back a Confederate invasion by [[Robert E. Lee]] in the largest battle of the war (28,000 Confederate casualties, 23,000 Union).
**[[July 4]] &ndash; [[Siege of Vicksburg]] &ndash; [[Ulysses S. Grant]] and the Union army capture the Confederate city [[Vicksburg, Mississippi]], after the town surrenders following a 47-day siege.
* [[July 6]] &ndash; [[Queen Victoria]] issues [[Letters Patent]], annexing to [[South Australia]] the part of the colony of [[New South Wales]] that will later become the [[Northern Territory]].<ref>[http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item.asp?dID=49 Letters Patent annexing the Northern Territory to South Australia, 1863] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110601183454/http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item.asp?dID=49 |date=June 1, 2011 }}. [[National Archives of Australia]].</ref>
* [[July 9]] &ndash; [[American Civil War]]: The [[Siege of Port Hudson]] ends, and the Union controls the entire Mississippi River for the first time.
* [[July 13]] &ndash; [[New York City draft riots]]: In New York City, opponents of [[conscription]] to the American Civil War begin 3 days of violent rioting, which will be regarded as the worst in the history of the United States with around 120 killed.

* [[July 16]] &ndash; [[Battle of Shimonoseki Straits]]: The [[screw sloop]] {{USS|Wyoming|1859|6}} engages with the [[Chōshū Domain]] fleet before withdrawing, in Japan's first naval engagement between elements of modern navies.
* [[July 17]] &ndash; The [[New Zealand Wars]] against the [[Māori people]] resume, as British forces in New Zealand led by [[Duncan Cameron (British Army officer)|Duncan Cameron]] begin their [[Invasion of the Waikato]].
[[American Civil War]]: 
** [[July 17]] &ndash; [[Battle of Honey Springs]] &ndash; Union troops win a strategic victory over the Confederates for control of [[Indian Territory]] north of the [[Arkansas River]]. 
** [[July 18]] &ndash; The first formal African American military unit, the [[54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry]], unsuccessfully assaults Confederate-held [[Fort Wagner]] but their valiant fighting still proves the worth of African American soldiers during the war. Their commander, Colonel [[Robert Gould Shaw|Robert Shaw]], is shot leading the attack, and is buried with his men (450 Union, along with 175 Confederate).
* [[July 26]] &ndash; American Civil War: [[Morgan's Raid]] &ndash; At [[Salineville, Ohio]], Confederate cavalry leader [[John Hunt Morgan]] and 375 of his volunteers are captured by Union forces.
* [[July 30]] &ndash; [[American Indian Wars]]: Representatives of the United States and tribal leaders including [[Chief Pocatello]] (of the [[Shoshone]]) sign the [[Box Elder Treaty]].
* [[July 30]] &ndash; [[Valuev Circular]] bans the publication of religious, educational and training books in [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]] in the [[Russian Empire]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Remy |first1=Johannes |title=The Valuev Circular and Censorship of Ukrainian Publications in the Russian Empire (1863-1876): Intention and Practice. |url=https://www.academia.edu/10023082 |journal=Canadian Slavonic Papers |date=2007 |volume=49 |issue=1–2 |pages=87–110 |doi=10.1080/00085006.2007.11092432 |access-date=1 April 2024}}</ref> 		

===August===
* [[August 1]]
** At the suggestion of Senator [[Johan Vilhelm Snellman|J. V. Snellman]] and the order of Emperor [[Alexander II of Russia|Alexander II]], full rights are promised to the [[Finnish language]] by a language regulation in the [[Grand Duchy of Finland]].<ref>{{cite book| author= Olavi Junnila | title= Suomen historia 5 | year= 1986 | chapter= Autonomian rakentaminen ja kansallisen nousun aika | page= 151 | location = Helsinki | publisher= Weilin + Göös | isbn= 951-35-2494-9 | language = fi}}</ref> 
** The [[pharmaceutical]] brand [[Bayer]] is founded by [[Friedrich Bayer]] in [[Germany]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bayer.com/en/history/history|title=History of Bayer|website=Bayer|access-date= 11 January 2023}}</ref>
* [[August 3]] &ndash; [[Otago Boys' High School]] is founded in New Zealand.
* [[August 8]] &ndash; American Civil War: Following his defeat in the [[Battle of Gettysburg]], General Robert E. Lee sends a letter of resignation to Confederate President [[Jefferson Davis]] (Davis refuses the request upon receipt).
* [[August 15]]&ndash;[[August 17|17]] &ndash; [[Bombardment of Kagoshima]]: The British [[Royal Navy]] bombards the town of [[Kagoshima]] in Japan in retribution, after the [[Namamugi Incident]] of [[1862]].
* [[August 16]] &ndash; After Spain's annexation of the [[Dominican Republic]], rebels raise the [[Flag of the Dominican Republic|Dominican flag]] in [[Santiago de los Caballeros|Santiago]] to begin the [[Dominican Restoration War]].

[[American Civil War]]: 
** [[August 17]] &ndash; In [[Charleston, South Carolina]], Union batteries and ships bombard Confederate-held [[Fort Sumter]] (the bombardment does not end until [[December 31]]).
** [[August 21]] &ndash; 
** [[Battle of Lawrence]]: [[Lawrence, Kansas]], is attacked by [[William Quantrill]]'s raiders, who kill an estimated 200 men and boys. The raid becomes notorious in the North as one of the most vicious atrocities of the Civil War.
** The American clipper ship ''Anglo Saxon'' (westbound) is captured and burned by [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[privateer]] ''Florida'' off the south coast of Ireland.<ref>{{cite book|first=Daniel J.|last=Nolan|title=Clippers: the ships that shaped the world|publisher=Malbay Publishing|year=2011|location=Bray|isbn=978-1-908726-00-1|page=97}}</ref>
* [[August 26]] &ndash; The Swedish-language liberal newspaper ''Helsingfors Dagblad'' proposes a blue-and-white cross as the [[flag of Finland]].<ref>[https://www.iltalehti.fi/suomi100/a/201701172200054989 IL: Keltaristilippumme! Suomen lipuksi oli tyrkyllä monenlaisia yritelmiä - katso kuvat] (in Finnish)</ref>	

===September===
[[American Civil War]]: 
** [[September 6]] &ndash; [[Confederate States of America|Confederates]] evacuate [[Battery Wagner]] and [[Morris Island]], in [[South Carolina]].
** [[September 19]]&ndash;[[September 20|20]] &ndash; [[Battle of Chickamauga]] &ndash; Confederate forces turn back a Union invasion of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]].
* [[September 30]] &ndash; [[Georges Bizet]]'s opera ''[[Les pêcheurs de perles]]'' debuts, at the [[Théâtre Lyrique]] in Paris.
* [[September]] &ndash; The [[Western Railroad (North Carolina)|Western Railroad]] from [[Fayetteville, North Carolina|Fayetteville]], North Carolina, to the coal fields of [[Cumnock, North Carolina|Egypt]], North Carolina, is completed.<ref>[http://www.historync.org/railroad-WRR.htm CommunicationSolutions/ISI, "Railroad — Western Railroad Company"], ''North Carolina Business History'', 2006, accessed 1 Feb 2010</ref>

===October===
* [[October 3]] &ndash; U.S. President Abraham Lincoln proclaims a national [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] Day, to be celebrated on the final Thursday in November.
* [[October 5]] &ndash; The [[Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Rail Road]] starts operations in [[Brooklyn, New York]], making it the oldest [[Right-of-way (railroad)|right-of-way]] on the [[New York City Subway]], the largest [[rapid transit]] system in the United States, and one of the largest in the world.
*[[American Civil War]]: 
** [[October 14]] &ndash; [[Battle of Bristoe Station]] &ndash; Confederate General Robert E. Lee's forces fail to drive the Union army out of [[Virginia]].
** [[October 15]] &ndash; The Confederate submarine ''[[H. L. Hunley (submarine)|H. L. Hunley]]'' sinks during a test, killing [[Horace Lawson Hunley]] (its inventor) and a crew of seven.<ref name=Hunley/>
[[Image:Flag of the Red Cross.svg|thumb|200px|right|October: [[Red Cross]]]]
* [[October 26]]&ndash;[[October 29|29]] &ndash; The Resolutions of the Geneva International Conference are signed by sixteen countries meeting in [[Geneva]] agreeing to form the [[International Red Cross]].
* [[October 29]] &ndash; American Civil War: [[Battle of Wauhatchie]] &ndash; Forces under Union General [[Ulysses S. Grant]], having fought through the night, ward off a Confederate attack led by General [[James Longstreet]]. Union forces thus open a [[supply line]] into [[Chattanooga, Tennessee]].<ref>Cozzens, Peter. ''The Shipwreck of Their Hopes: The Battles for Chattanooga''. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994. {{ISBN|0-252-01922-9}}. Page 100.</ref>	

===November===
* [[November 4]] &ndash; [[Hector Berlioz]]'s opera ''[[Les Troyens]]'' is performed for the first time, at the [[Théâtre Lyrique]] in Paris.<ref>{{cite book|author=Robert Ignatius Letellier|title=Opéra-Comique: A Sourcebook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K04aBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA139|date=16 April 2010|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|isbn=978-1-4438-2168-1|pages=139}}</ref>
* [[November 15]] &ndash; King [[Christian IX of Denmark]] succeeds his distant cousin [[Frederick VII of Denmark|Frederick VII]], giving rise to the beginning of the Second [[Schleswig-Holstein]] crisis.
*[[American Civil War]]: 
** [[November 16]] &ndash; [[Battle of Campbell's Station]] &ndash; Near [[Knoxville, Tennessee]], Confederate troops led by General James Longstreet unsuccessfully attack Union forces under General [[Ambrose Burnside]].
** [[November 17]] &ndash; [[Siege of Knoxville]] &ndash; Confederate forces led by General James Longstreet place Knoxville, Tennessee, under siege (the two-week-long siege and an attack are unsuccessful).
* [[November 18]] &ndash; King [[Christian IX of Denmark]] signs [[History of Schleswig-Holstein#The November Constitution|the November Constitution]], which declares [[Schleswig]] to be part of Denmark, regarded by the [[German Confederation]] as a violation of the [[London Protocol (1852)|London Protocol of 1852]], leading to the [[Second Schleswig War|German–Danish war of 1864]].
* [[November 19]] &ndash; U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivers the [[Gettysburg Address]], at the military cemetery dedication ceremony in [[Gettysburg, Pennsylvania]].
*[[American Civil War]]: 
** [[November 23]] &ndash; [[Battle of Chattanooga III]] &ndash; Union forces led by General Ulysses S. Grant reinforce troops at Chattanooga, Tennessee, and counter-attack Confederate troops.
** [[November 24]] &ndash; [[Battle of Lookout Mountain]] &ndash; Near Chattanooga, Tennessee, Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant capture Lookout Mountain, and begin to break the Confederate siege of the city, led by General [[Braxton Bragg]].
** [[November 25]] &ndash; [[Battle of Missionary Ridge]] &ndash; At [[Missionary Ridge]] in [[Tennessee]], Union forces led by General Ulysses S. Grant break the siege of Chattanooga, by routing Confederate troops under General Braxton Bragg.
** [[November 26]] &ndash; Mine Run &ndash; Union forces under General [[George Meade]] position against troops led by Confederate General Robert E. Lee (Meade's forces cannot find any weaknesses in the Confederate lines, and give up trying after five days).
** [[November 27]] &ndash; Confederate cavalry leader John Hunt Morgan and several of his men escape the Ohio state prison, and return safely to the South.  

===December===
* [[December 1]] &ndash; The first steam-operated passenger railway in New Zealand opens at [[Christchurch]] in [[South Island]].<ref>{{Marshall-GuinnessRail}}</ref>{{page needed|date=October 2016}}
* [[December 6]] &ndash; C.S.A.C. Fides Quadrat Intellectum, the First Reformed student society, is founded at the Theologische Universiteit Kampen (Broederweg), in Kampen, the Netherlands.
* [[December 8]] &ndash; The [[Church of the Company Fire]] in [[Santiago]], [[Chile]], kills between 2,000 and 3,000 people.
* [[December 15]]
** [[Romania]] opens its first [[mountain railway]] (from [[Anina]] to [[Oravița]]).
** [[Gerard Adriaan Heineken]], 22, buys the brewery 'De Hooiberg' ("The Haystack") in [[Amsterdam]].
* [[December 19]] &ndash; [[Linoleum]] is patented in the United Kingdom.<ref name="The People's Chronology"/>

=== Date unknown ===
* The [[Anglo-Ashanti wars#Second Anglo-Ashanti War (1863–1864)|Second Anglo-Ashanti War (1863–1864)]] begins.
* [[Bartolomé Mitre]] secretly backs the revolt of [[Venancio Flores]] against the [[Uruguay]]an Blanco government.
* [[Douglas, Isle of Man|Douglas]] becomes the capital of the [[Isle of Man]], after its [[parliament]] ([[Tynwald]]) moves its chambers from [[Castletown, Isle of Man|Castletown]].
* The first outbreak of [[phylloxera]] on the European mainland is observed, in the vineyards of the southern Rhône region of France.
* The recipe for the herbal liqueur [[Bénédictine]] is devised by [[Alexandre Le Grand (merchant)|Alexandre Le Grand]] in [[Fécamp]], France.
* [[Richard Owen]] publishes the first description of a fossilised bird, ''[[Archaeopteryx]]''.<ref name="The People's Chronology"/><ref>{{cite journal|title=On the archeopteryx of von Meyer, with a description of the fossil remains of a long-tailed species, from the lithographic stone of Solenhofen|first=R.|last=Owen|journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society|location=London|volume=153|year=1863|pages=33–47|doi=10.1098/rstl.1863.0003 |url=https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rstl.1863.0003|accessdate=2025-10-23}} Paper read November 20, 1862.</ref>
* The [[Colmar Treasure]], a hoard of 14th century Jewish precious metal objects, is discovered in Alsace.

== Births ==

=== January&ndash;March ===
[[File:Swami Vivekananda-1893-09-signed.jpg|alt=Photo of Swami Vivekananda in 1893|thumb|257x257px|[[Swami Vivekananda]]]]
* [[January 1]] &ndash; [[Pierre de Coubertin]], French founder of the modern Olympic Games (d. [[1937]])<ref>{{cite web |title=Pierre, baron de Coubertin {{!}} Biography, Olympics, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pierre-baron-de-Coubertin |website=www.britannica.com |access-date=15 April 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[January 7]] &ndash; [[Anna Murray Vail]], American botanist and first librarian of the [[New York Botanical Garden]] (d. [[1955]])
* [[January 12]] &ndash; [[Swami Vivekananda]], Indian Hindu religious leader (d. [[1902]])
* [[January 14]] &ndash; [[Manuel Gomes da Costa]], Portuguese general, 10th president of Portugal (d. [[1929]])
* [[January 15]] &ndash; [[Wilhelm Marx]], [[Chancellor of Germany (German Reich)|Chancellor of Germany]] (d. [[1946]])
* [[January 17]] 
** [[David Lloyd George]], [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] (d. [[1945]])
** [[Constantin Stanislavski]], Russian [[theatre practitioner]], founder of modern realistic acting (d. [[1938]])
* [[January 28]] &ndash; [[Ernest William Christmas]], Australian [[Painting|painter]] (d. [[1918]])
* [[February 11]] &ndash; [[John F. Fitzgerald]], Mayor of Boston (d. [[1950]])
* [[March 1]] &ndash; [[Sydney Deane]], Australian cricketer, actor (d. [[1934]])
* [[March 9]] &ndash; [[Emelie Tracy Y. Swett]], American author (d. [[1892]])
* [[March 11]] &ndash; [[Andrew Stoddart]], English sportsman (d. [[1915]])
* [[March 12]] &ndash; [[Gabriele D'Annunzio]], Italian writer, war hero and politician (d. [[1938]])
* [[March 13]] &ndash; [[Maria Mikhailovich Volkonskaya]], Russian princess, Catholic convert and writer
* [[March 27]] &ndash; [[Henry Royce]], English automobile pioneer (d. [[1933]])

=== April&ndash;June ===
[[File:Helen Dortch Longstreet.jpg|thumb|110px|[[Helen Dortch Longstreet]]]]
* [[April 15]] &ndash; [[Ida Freund]], Austrian-born chemist and educator (d. [[1914]])
* [[April 18]] &ndash; [[Count Leopold Berchtold]], Austro-Hungarian foreign minister (d. [[1942]])
* [[April 20]] &ndash; [[Helen Dortch Longstreet]], American social advocate, librarian and newspaper woman (d. [[1962]])
* [[April 28]] &ndash; [[Josiah Thomas (politician)|Josiah Thomas]], Australian politician (d. [[1933]])
* [[April 29]] 
** [[William Randolph Hearst]], American newspaper publisher (d. [[1951]])
** [[Mary Theresa Ledóchowska]], Polish missionary sister (d. [[1922]])
* [[May 18]] &ndash; [[Ehrhard Schmidt]], German admiral (d. [[1946]])
* [[May 21]] &ndash; [[Archduke Eugen of Austria]], Austrian field marshal (d. [[1954]])
* [[May 24]] &ndash; [[George Grey Barnard]], American sculptor (d. [[1938]])
* [[May 29]] &ndash; [[Arthur Mold]], English cricketer (d. [[1921]])
* [[June 2]] &ndash; [[Felix Weingartner]], Austrian conductor (d. [[1942]])
* [[June 13]] &ndash; [[Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon]], English fashion designer (d. [[1942]])
* [[June 17]] &ndash; [[Charles Michael, Duke of Mecklenburg]], head of the [[House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]] (d. [[1934]])

=== July&ndash;September ===
[[File:Hugo Winckler 01.jpg|thumb|right|110px|[[Hugo Winckler]]]]
[[File:Amélie Rives 001.jpg|thumb|110px|[[Amélie Rives Troubetzkoy]]]]
[[File:Henry ford 1919.jpg|thumb|110px|right|[[Henry Ford]]]]
[[File:King Carlos I of Portugal - National Portrait Gallery.png|thumb|110px|right|[[Carlos I of Portugal]]]]
* [[July 1]] &ndash; [[William Grant Stairs]], Canadian explorer (d. [[1892]])
* [[July 4]] &ndash; [[Hugo Winckler]], German archaeologist and historian, uncovers the capital of the Hittite Empire (Hattusa) (d. [[1913]])
* [[July 6]] &ndash; [[Reginald McKenna]], British [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]] (1915-1916) (d. [[1943]])
* [[July 15]] &ndash; [[Gonzalo Córdova]], 21st president of Ecuador (d. [[1928]])
* [[July 21]] &ndash; [[C. Aubrey Smith]], English actor (d. [[1948]])
* [[July 25]] &ndash; [[Alison Skipworth]], English actress (d. [[1952]])
* [[July 30]] &ndash; [[Henry Ford]], American automobile manufacturer, industrialist (d. [[1947]])
* [[August 1]] &ndash; [[Gaston Doumergue]], President of France during the Third Republic (d. [[1937]])
* [[August 3]] &ndash; [[Géza Gárdonyi]], Hungarian author (d. [[1922]])
* [[August 15]] – [[Jesse Price (politician)|Jesse Price]], American politician and member of the [[United States House of Representatives]] from 1914 to 1919 (d. [[1939]])
* [[August 17]] &ndash; [[Gene Stratton-Porter]], American author, screenwriter and naturalist (d. [[1924]])
* [[August 23]] &ndash; Princess [[Amélie Rives Troubetzkoy]], American author (d. [[1945]])
* [[August 24]] &ndash; [[Carrie Ashton Johnson]], American editor, author (d. [[1949]])
* [[August 24]] &ndash; [[Dragutin Lerman]], Croatian writer, African explorer, East Congo commissioner (d. [[1918]])
* [[September 1]] &ndash; [[João Pinheiro Chagas]], Prime Minister of Portugal (d. [[1925]])
* [[September 13]]
** [[Arthur Henderson]], Scottish politician, recipient of the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] (d. [[1935]])
** [[Franz von Hipper]], German admiral (d. [[1932]])
* [[September 21]]
** [[John Bunny]], American film comedian (d. [[1915]])
** [[Catherine Backus]], American sculptor (d. [[1955]])
* [[September 22]] 
** [[Alexandre Yersin]], Swiss-French physician, bacteriologist (d. [[1943]]) 
** [[G. R. S. Mead]], British writer (d. [[1933]])
* [[September 25]] &ndash; [[S. Isadore Miner]], American columnist writing as "Pauline Periwinkle" (d. [[1916]])
* [[September 28]] &ndash; King [[Carlos I of Portugal]] (k. [[1908]])
* [[September 30]] &ndash; [[Reinhard Scheer]], German admiral (d. [[1928]])

=== October&ndash;December ===
* [[October 4]] &ndash; [[Samuel P. Bush]], American businessman and industrialist (d. [[1948]])
* [[October 7]] &ndash; [[Clarence Stewart Williams]], American admiral (d. [[1951]])
* [[October 11]]
** [[Lionel Cripps]], Rhodesian politician (d. [[1950]])
** [[Louis Cyr]], Canadian strongman (d. [[1912]])
* [[October 16]] &ndash; [[Austen Chamberlain]], English politician, recipient of the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] (d. [[1937]])
* [[November 8]] &ndash; [[Eero Järnefelt]], Finnish realist painter (d. [[1937]])
* [[November 11]] &ndash; [[Paul Signac]], French Neo-Impressionist painter (d. [[1935]]) 
* [[November 14]] &ndash; [[Leo Baekeland]] Belgian-born American chemist (d. [[1944]])
* [[November 20]] &ndash; [[Zeffie Tilbury]], English stage, film actress (daughter of [[Lydia Thompson]]) (d. [[1950]])
* [[November 23]] &ndash; [[János Hadik]], 19th prime minister of Hungary (d. [[1933]])
* [[November 24]] &ndash; [[Leberecht Maass]], German admiral (d. [[1914]])
* [[November 28]] &ndash; [[Eremia Grigorescu]], Romanian general (d. [[1919]])
* [[November 30]] &ndash; [[Andrés Bonifacio]], Filipino revolutionary leader (d. [[1897]])
* [[December 1]] 
** [[Qasim Amin]], Egyptian writer (d. [[1908]])
** [[Black Elk]]/ Heȟáka Sápa', Oglala Teton [[Lakota people|Lakota]] (Western Sioux) medicine/holy man  (d. [[1950]])
* [[December 5]] &ndash; [[Paul Painlevé]], mathematician and 2-time prime minister of France (d. [[1933]])
* [[December 7]] 
** [[Felix Calonder]], Swiss politician (d. [[1952]])
** [[Richard Warren Sears]], American businessman (d. [[1914]]) 
** [[Pietro Mascagni]], Italian composer (d. [[1945]])
* [[December 8]] &ndash; [[Albert Abrams]], American doctor (d. [[1924]])
* [[December 11]]
** [[Georg Bruchmüller]], German artillery officer (d. [[1948]])
** [[Annie Jump Cannon]], American astronomer (d. [[1941]])
[[File:Edvard Munch 1921.jpg|thumb|right|110px|[[Edvard Munch]]]]
* [[December 12]]
** [[Edvard Munch]], Norwegian painter (d. [[1944]])
** [[Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum]], British India politician, educationist (d. [[1937]])
* [[December 13]] &ndash; [[Harry Todd]], American actor (d. [[1935]])
* [[December 14]] &ndash; [[Kenneth Balfour]], British Conservative Party politician (d. [[1936]])
* [[December 16]] &ndash; [[George Santayana]], Spanish-born philosopher, poet, essayist and novelist (d. [[1952]])
* [[December 18]] &ndash; [[Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria]] (k. [[1914]])

== Deaths ==

=== January&ndash;June ===
[[File:Antonio_Valero_Bernabe.gif|thumb|right|110px|[[Antonio Valero de Bernabé]]]]
* [[January 1]] &ndash; [[William B. Renshaw]], United States Navy officer (killed in action) (b. [[1816]])
* [[February 7]] &ndash; [[William Farquharson Burnett]], British commodore (drowned) (b. [[1815]])
* [[February 10]] &ndash; [[Emma Catherine Embury]], American author (b. [[1806]])
* [[April 1]] &ndash; [[Jakob Steiner]], Swiss mathematician (b. [[1796]])
* [[April 10]] &ndash; [[Giovanni Battista Amici]], Italian astronomer, microscopist and botanist (b. [[1786]])
* [[April 21]] &ndash; [[Sir Robert Bateson, 1st Baronet]], Irish nobility (b. [[1782]])
* [[May 7]] &ndash; [[Earl Van Dorn]], American Confederate general (murdered) (b. [[1820]])
* [[May 10]] &ndash; [[Stonewall Jackson|Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson]], American Confederate general (died of wounds) (b. [[1824]])
* [[June 7]] &ndash; [[Antonio Valero de Bernabé]], Latin American liberator (b. [[1790]])
* [[June 9]] &ndash; [[Dost Mohammad Khan (Emir of Afghanistan)|Dost Mohammad Khan]], Emir of [[Kabul]], King of [[Kandahar]] (b. [[1793]])
* [[June 24]] &ndash; [[George Elliot (Royal Navy officer, born 1784)|Sir George Elliot]], British admiral (b. [[1784]])
* [[June 26]] &ndash; [[Andrew Hull Foote]], American admiral (b. [[1800]])


=== July&ndash;December ===
[[File:Félix Nadar 1820-1910 portraits Eugène Delacroix restored.jpg|thumb|right|110px|[[Eugène Delacroix]]]]
[[File:JacobGrimm.jpg|thumb|right|110px|[[Jacob Grimm]]]]
* [[July 1]] &ndash; [[John F. Reynolds]], American general (killed in action) (b. [[1820]])
* [[July 5]] &ndash; [[Lewis Armistead]], American Confederate general (died of wounds) (b. [[1817]])
*[[July 10]] &ndash; [[Clement Clarke Moore]], American writer and teacher (b. [[1779]])
* [[July 18]] &ndash; [[Robert Gould Shaw]], American Union Army officer (killed in action) (b. [[1837]])
* [[July 21]] &ndash; [[Josephine Kablick]], Czech botanist and paleontologist (b. [[1787]]) 
* [[July 26]] &ndash; [[Sam Houston]], first [[President of the Republic of Texas]] (b. [[1793]])
* [[August 1]] &ndash; [[Jind Kaur]], Indian royal, Maharani of Punjab (b. [[1817]])
* [[August 13]] &ndash; [[Eugène Delacroix]], French painter (b. [[1798]])
* [[September 17]] &ndash; [[Alfred de Vigny]], French author (b. [[1797]])
* [[September 20]] &ndash; [[Jacob Grimm]], German folklorist (b. [[1785]])
* [[September 21]] &ndash; [[Benjamin Hardin Helm]], Confederate politician and general (died of wounds) (b. [[1831]])
* [[October 13]] &ndash; [[Philippe Antoine d'Ornano]], Marshal of France (b. [[1784]])
* [[November 2]] &ndash; [[Theodore Judah]], American railroad engineer (yellow fever) (b. [[1826]])
* [[November 13]] &ndash; [[Ignacio Comonfort]], President of Mexico [[1855]]-1857 (killed in action) (b. [[1812]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://calderon.presidencia.gob.mx/mexico/gobernantes/mexico-1821-actualidad/ignacio-comonfort/|publisher=Presidency de la Republica de Mexico|title=IGNACIO COMONFORT|language=es|access-date=May 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530054413/http://calderon.presidencia.gob.mx/mexico/gobernantes/mexico-1821-actualidad/ignacio-comonfort/|archive-date=May 30, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[November 15]] &ndash; King [[Frederick VII of Denmark]] (b. [[1808]])
* [[December 2]] &ndash; [[Jane Pierce]], 15th [[First Lady of the United States]] (b. [[1806]])
* [[December 13]] &ndash; [[Christian Friedrich Hebbel]], German writer (b. [[1813]])
* [[December 16]] &ndash; [[John Buford]], American general (b. [[1826]])
* [[December 24]] &ndash; [[William Makepeace Thackeray]], British novelist (b. [[1811]])

== In fiction ==
{{See also|Category:Films set in 1863}}
* The film ''[[Glory (1989 film)|Glory]]'' (1989, starring [[Morgan Freeman]], [[Denzel Washington]] and [[Matthew Broderick]]) shows the events of 1863, notably the assault on Fort Wagner.
* The film ''[[Gangs of New York]]'' (starring [[Daniel Day-Lewis]], [[Leonardo DiCaprio]] and [[Cameron Diaz]]) is set in [[New York City]] in 1863.
* The main protagonist of ''[[Red Dead Redemption 2]]'', [[Arthur Morgan (Red Dead)|Arthur Morgan]], is born in 1863.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== further reading==
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=z2FigFVIkxUC ''Appleton's Annual Cyclopedia...1863'' (1864), detailed coverage of events in all countries]
* [http://www.familytales.org/results.php?year=1863 Historic Letters of 1863]

{{DEFAULTSORT:1863}}
[[Category:1863| ]]