Abraham Lincoln signs the most controversial bill of his presidency into law, providing for the first national military draft in U.S. history.

Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
Abraham Lincoln signs the most controversial bill of his presidency into law, providing for the first national military draft in U.S. history.
President Abraham Lincoln signs several bills into law that are met with intense opposition from the Democrat minority in Congress.
A U.S. warship seizes a British merchant vessel in neutral waters, which threatens to cause an international crisis.
U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward unilaterally declines an offer by French Emperor Napoleon III to mediate the conflict between the U.S. and the Confederacy.
Joseph Hooker begins to reorganize and rejuvenate the demoralized Federal Army of the Potomac, but many doubt that he will ultimately succeed.
The defeat at Fredericksburg and the failed “Mud March” spark recriminations among the Federal army command, leading to wholesale changes.