What Happened in 1865

Lee Accepts Position as President of Washington College

After the American Civil War, General Robert E. Lee turned down several financially tantalizing offers of employment that would merely have traded... Read more

Walt Whitman Publishes "O Captain! My Captain!"

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still; My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will; The ship is... Read more

Henry Wirz Is Hanged

Henry Wirz, former commander of the infamous Confederate prison at Andersonville, Georgia, was hanged on November 10, 1865 in Washington, D.C.... Read more

Mark Twain Publishes "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"

Twain then moved to San Francisco, California in 1864, where he continued working as a journalist. He met other writers, such as Bret Harte,... Read more

'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' is Published

Like most nineteenth-century children's books, the pictures for Alice were created by transferring the artist's drawings to woodblocks, But with... Read more

The Thirteenth Amendment is ratified

The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution officially abolished and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude, except... Read more