September 1862

Monday 01:

Confederate forces attack retreating Union troops in Chantilly, Virginia.

Tuesday 02:

American Civil War: President Abraham Lincoln reluctantly restores Union General George McClellan to full command after General John Pope's disastrous defeat at the Battle of Second Bull Run.

Friday 05:

American Civil War: In the Confederacy's first invasion of the North, General Robert E. Lee leads 55,000 men of the Army of Northern Virginia across the Potomac River at White's Ford near Leesburg, Virginia, into Maryland.

Saturday 13:

Union soldiers find Robert E. Lee's battle plans in a field outside Frederick, Maryland.

Monday 15:

American Civil War: Confederate forces capture Harpers Ferry, Virginia.

Wednesday 17:

American Civil War: George McClellan halts the northward drive of Robert E. Lee's Confederate army in the Battle of Antietam.

Friday 19:

Union troops under General William Rosecrans defeat a Confederate force commanded by General Sterling Price

Monday 22:

Slavery in the United States: A preliminary version of the Emancipation Proclamation is released.