Timeline April 1862

Events in April 1862 5

• 1800 – 1862 James Clark Ross (1800-1862) Died 3 April 1862, aged 61 Ross was a British naval officer and polar explorer who located the North Magnetic Pole and led expeditions that charted the Antarctic coastline now bearing his name. He died at his home in Aylesbury, England.
• 1803 – 1862 Albert Sidney Johnston (1803-1862) Died 6 April 1862, aged 59 Johnston was a senior Confederate general who commanded Southern forces at the Battle of Shiloh. He bled to death from a leg wound on the first day of the battle, the highest-ranking officer killed on either side during the Civil War.
• 1862 Victor Hugo publishes Les Miserables Sweeping novel of poverty and redemption in France Victor Hugo released Les Miserables, a novel following the ex-convict Jean Valjean through decades of political upheaval in France. It became one of the most widely read novels of the nineteenth century and remains a global cultural touchstone.
• 1862 Battle of Shiloh Bloody two-day battle in Tennessee Confederate forces launched a surprise attack on Union troops near Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, before being repulsed on the second day. The battle produced roughly 23,000 combined casualties, the highest of the war to that point.
• 1862 Fall of New Orleans Union fleet captures the Confederacy's largest city A Union fleet under Flag Officer David Farragut ran past Confederate forts and forced the surrender of New Orleans, the South's largest city and a vital port. The capture gave the Union control of the mouth of the Mississippi River trade.