6th » American Civil War: Arkansas secedes from the Union (American Civil War) or Union.
6th » American Civil War: Richmond, Virginia is declared the new capital of the Confederate States of America.
8th » American Civil War: Richmond, Virginia is named the capital of the Confederate States of America.
13th » American Civil War: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom issues a "proclamation of Neutrality (international relations) or neutrality" which recognizes the Confederate States of America e.g breakaway states as having belligerent rights.
13th » The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia.
20th » American Civil War: The state of Kentucky proclaims its neutral country e.g neutrality, which will last until September 3 when Confederate States of America named Confederate forces enter the state. Meanwhile, the State of North Carolina secedes from the
24th » American Civil War: Union (American Civil War) known as Union troops occupy Alexandria, Virginia.
29th » The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce is founded, in Hong Kong.
Famous Birthdays on May in 1861
6th » Motilal Nehru, Indian lawyer and politician (d. 1931)
7th » Rabindranath Tagore, Indian author and poet, Nobel Prize in Literature or Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1941)
11th » Frederick Russell Burnham, American soldier and adventurer (d. 1947)
16th » H. H. Holmes, American serial killer (d. 1896)