18th President Ulysses S. Grant is born Hiram Ulysses Grant in Point Pleasant, Ohio. Grant, one of the most successful U.S. generals in American history, commanded the Union Army during the second half of the Civil War and was first elected President in 1868, and later reelected in 1872.
American forces land at York (present day Toronto, Canada) and capture the British garrison on Lake Ontario. The retreating British force exploded the powder magazine, killing several dozen Americans. The battle secured American control of York, one of the largest cities in British Canada.
Lincoln suspends habeas corpus
President Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus in Maryland, responding to riots and secessionist movements in the key border state.
