1847 Timeline

1847 Elizabeth Blackwell is accepted to Geneva College
She attended Geneva College in New York. She was accepted there — anecdotally, because the faculty put it to a student vote, and the students thought her application was a hoax — and brav...
1847 'Wuthering Heights' is Published
It is not simply in contrast to its origins that Wuthering Heights strikes us as so unique, so unanticipated. This great novel, though not inordinately long, and, contrary to general assu...
1847 Jan 8 Battle Of Rio San Gabriel Begins
The Battle of Rio San Gabriel was a decisive action of the California campaign of the Mexican-American War and occurred at the sites of present-day Montebello and Pico Rivera on January 8...
1847 Jan 9 Battle Of La Mesa Begins
Kearny's command was bloodied and in poor condition but pushed on until they had to establish a defensive position on "Mule" Hill near present-day Escondido. The Californios besieged the ...
1847 Jan 13 Treaty Of Cahuenga Is Signed
Kearny's command was bloodied and in poor condition but pushed on until they had to establish a defensive position on "Mule" Hill near present-day Escondido. The Californios besieged the ...
1847 Jan 24 Battle Of Canada
The Battle of Cañada was part of the Taos Revolt, a popular insurrection against the United States by Mexicans. It took place on January 24, 1847, during the Mexican-American War.
1847 Jan 24 First Battle Of Mora
After a failed attack by American Forces led by Israel Hendley on January 24, on February 1 another expedition armed with cannon succeeded in razing the village of Mora in New Mexico.
1847 Jan 29 Battle Of Embudo Pass
The Battle of Embudo Pass was part of the Taos Revolt, a popular insurrection against the United States. It took place on January 29, 1847, during the Mexican-American War, in what now is...
1847 Jan 30 Virginia Clemm Poe Dies
On January 29, 1847, Poe wrote to Marie Louise Shew: "My poor Virginia still lives, although failing fast and now suffering much pain."Virginia died the following day, January 30, after f...
1847 Feb 1 Second Battle Of Mora
On February 1, approximately 200 U.S. troops led by Captain Jesse I. Morin returned to Mora armed with two howitzers. Most of the insurgents fled to the surrounding mountains. Nevertheles...
1847 Feb 3
to 1847 Feb 5
 Siege Of Pueblo De Taos
The Siege of Pueblo de Taos was the final battle of the Taos Revolt, a popular insurrection against the United States during the Mexican-American War. It was also the final engagement bet...
1847 Feb 11 Thomas Edison is Born
Thomas Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in the canal town of Milan, Ohio, the last of seven children. His mother, Nancy, had been a school teacher; his father, Samuel, was a Canadian ...
1847 Feb 22 Santa Anna Marches North To Fight Taylor
Eventually, these actions drove and trapped Ampudia's men into the city's central plaza, where howitzer shelling forced Ampudia to negotiate. Taylor agreed to allow the Mexican Army to ev...
1847 Feb 23 Battle of Buena Vista
United States General Zachary Taylor was victorious over Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna in the Battle of Buena Vista on February 23, 1847. Santa Anna's loss at Buena Vista, ...
1847 Feb 28 Battle Of The Sacramento
The Battle of the Sacramento took place on February 28, 1847 during the Mexican-American War. About 25 miles north of Chihuahua at the river Sacramento. In early 1847, Colonel Alexande...
1847 Mar Douglas Marries Martha
Once in Washington, however, Douglas's mood shifted. In the House of Representatives, he struck up a friendship with a colleague, Congressman David S. Reid of North Carolina. Reid introdu...
1847 Mar John Clemens (Mark Twain's Father) Dies
When Twain was four, his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, a port town on the Mississippi River that served as the inspiration for the fictional town of St. Petersburg in The Adventures...
1847 Mar 3 Alexander Graham Bell is Born
Alexander Bell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on March 3, 1847. The family home was at 16 South Charlotte Street, and now has a commemorative marker at the doorstep, marking it as Alexan...
1847 Mar 9
to 1847 Mar 29
 Siege of Veracruz
The Battle of Veracruz was a 20-day siege of the key Mexican seaport of Veracruz, during the Mexican-American War. Lasting from March 9 to March 29, 1847, it began with the first large-sc...
1847 Apr 18 Battle Of Cerro Gordo
The Battle of Cerro Gordo or Sierra Gordo in the Mexican-American War saw Winfield Scott's US troops flank and drive Santa Anna's larger Mexican army from a strong defensive position. ...
1847 Apr 18 Battle of Cerro Gordo - Lee Earns Rank of Brevet Major
The Battle of Cerro Gordo or Sierra Gordo[1] in the Mexican-American War saw Winfield Scott's US troops flank and drive Santa Anna's larger Mexican army from a strong defensive position.
1847 Apr 18 Battle Of Tuxpan
The Battle of Tuxpan was a battle fought during the Mexican-American War. After the fall of Veracruz, Commodore Matthew C. Perry, commander of the U.S. Home Squadron, decided to move a...
1847 Jun 15
to 1847 Jun 16
 Second Battle Of Tabasco
The Second Battle of Tabasco, also known as the Battle of Villahermosa, was a battle fought in June 1847 during the Mexican-American War as part of the U.S. blockade of Mexican Gulf ports...
1847 Jul 1 The U. S. Post Office First Issues The Postage Stamp
On July 1, 1847, the United States Post Office issued its first general issue postage stamp, a five-cent stamp honoring Benjamin Franklin, the first postmaster general under the Continent...
1847 Jul 24 Bringham Young Arrives at Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City was founded on July 24, 1847, by a group of Mormon pioneers. (Mormons are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.) The pioneers, led by Brigham Young, w...
1847 Aug 19
to 1847 Aug 20
 Battle of Contreras
The Battle of Contreras, also known as the Battle of Padierna, took place during the August 19–20, 1847, in the final encounters of the Mexican-American War. In the Battle of Churubusco, ...
1847 Aug 20 Battle Of Churubusco
The Battles of Churubusco took place on August 20, 1847, in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Contreras (Padierna) during the Mexican-American War. The defeat of the Mexican army a...
1847 Sep 5 Jesse James Is Born
The infamous Jesse James was born on September 5, 1847. At seventeen, James left his native Missouri to fight as a Confederate guerilla in the Civil War. After the war, he returned to his...
1847 Sep 8
to 1847 Sep 15
 Battle For Mexico City
The Battle for Mexico City refers to the series of engagements from September 8 to September 15, 1847, in the general vicinity of Mexico City during the Mexican-American War. Included are...
1847 Sep 8 Battle Of Molino Del Ray
The Battle of Molino del Rey was one of the bloodiest engagements of the Mexican-American War. On September 6, 1847, as the armistice and negotiations that followed the Battle of Churu...
1847 Sep 12
to 1847 Sep 13
 Battle of Chapultepec
The Battle of Chapultepec (September 1847) was a U.S. victory over Mexican forces holding Chapultepec Castle west of Mexico City during the Mexican-American War.
1847 Sep 14
to 1847 Oct 12
 Siege Of Puebla
The Siege of Puebla began the same day Mexico City fell to Winfield Scott and lasted for 28 days when a relief force was able to fight its way into the city and lift the siege. General...
1847 Sep 15 Fall Of Mexico City
The Battle for Mexico City refers to the series of engagements from September 8 to September 15, 1847, in the general vicinity of Mexico City during the Mexican-American War. Included are...
1847 Sep 30 George Perkins Marsh Delivers A Speech To The Agricultural Society
On September 30, 1847, Congressman George Perkins Marsh delivered a speech on agricultural conditions in New England to the Agricultural Society of Rutland County, Vermont. This powerful ...
1847 Oct 9 Battle Of Huamantla
The Battle of Huamantla was a U.S. victory late in the Mexican-American War that forced the Mexican Army to lift the Siege of Puebla. The same day Mexico City fell to General Winfield ...
1847 Oct 16 'Jane Eyre' is Published
Jane Eyre is a wildly emotional romance, with a lonely heroine and a tormented Byronic hero, pathetic orphans, dark secrets, and a mad-woman in the attic. When it was published in 1847 it...
1847 Nov 21 Fire Aboard the Steamship Phoenix
This terrible accident occurred about four o'clock on the morning of the 21st of November, 1847, on Lake Michigan, within seventeen miles of Sheboygan. The fire was first discovered under...
1847 Dec 3 Douglass Establishes Abolitionist Paper - The North Star
He used his oratorical skills in the ensuing years to lecture in the northern states against slavery. He also helped slaves escape to the North while working with the Underground Railroad...
1847 Dec 5 Jefferson Davis Appointed to U.S. Senate
Because of his war service, the governor of Mississippi appointed Davis to fill out the Senate term of the late Jesse Speight. He took his seat December 5, 1847, and was elected to serve ...
1847 Dec 30 John Peter Altgeld Is Born
Turn-of-the-century progressive reformer John Peter Altgeld was born in Germany on December 30, 1847. Despite his humble origins as the son of immigrants, Altgeld was resourceful and pass...