Union troops marched into Richmond, Virginia, after the Confederate government evacuated overnight. Retreating Confederates set fire to tobacco warehouses and military supplies, and the conflagration destroyed much of the city's business district. President Lincoln visited the smoldering capital two days later, sitting in Jefferson Davis's chair.
Simultaneous riders departed from St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California, inaugurating the Pony Express mail relay that covered roughly 1,900 miles in ten days. The system was commercial, but its riders carried critical military and government dispatches across a frontier patrolled by only a handful of cavalry posts.
Union troops marched into the Confederate capital after Lee's army evacuated overnight, with retreating Confederates setting fires that destroyed much of the city.
Former Confederate guerrilla and America's most notorious outlaw Jesse James was shot in the back of the head by Robert Ford, a gang member seeking a $10,000 bounty. James had ridden with Quantrill's Raiders during the Civil War before becoming the nation's most wanted bank robber.
Japanese forces under Lt. General Homma launched the decisive offensive against starving American and Filipino defenders on the Bataan Peninsula. The 75,000 Allied troops surrendered on April 9, leading to the infamous Bataan Death March.
Admiral Chester Nimitz assumed command as CINCPOA while General MacArthur was named Commander of the Southwest Pacific Area, establishing the dual command structure that shaped Allied strategy for the rest of the war.
Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo's Kido Butai carrier force launched 126 aircraft against the Royal Navy base at Colombo, Ceylon, opening the Indian Ocean Raid. Two Royal Navy heavy cruisers were caught and sunk at sea later the same day, demonstrating the reach of Japanese carrier airpower four months after Pearl Harbor.
Lt. General Masaharu Homma, commander of the Japanese forces that perpetrated the Bataan Death March, was executed by firing squad at Los Banos, Philippines, after being convicted on 48 counts of violating international rules of war.
President Truman signed the Economic Cooperation Act, authorizing $13.3 billion in economic aid to rebuild 16 war-devastated European nations. The Marshall Plan is widely credited with preventing the spread of communism in Western Europe.
Navy aircraft from the carriers USS Hancock and USS Coral Sea attacked the Thanh Hoa Bridge during Operation Rolling Thunder, encountering enemy MiG-17 fighters in the war's first air-to-air combat between American and North Vietnamese aircraft.
Task Force 1-64 Armor of the 3rd Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade broke through the final Iraqi defensive belt west of Baghdad and captured Saddam International Airport in a night battle. The airfield gave coalition forces a logistics hub inside the Iraqi capital and set the stage for the "Thunder Runs" into central Baghdad three days later.
Azerbaijani mechanized forces launched coordinated attacks along the Line of Contact with Armenian-held Nagorno-Karabakh, ending a 22-year ceasefire. The brief conflict featured the combat debut of Israeli loitering munitions and Turkish-supplied attack drones, foreshadowing the drone warfare that dominated the 2020 war.
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Major General, U.S. Army
Commanding General of the United States Army from 1828 until his death. Known as "The Hero of Plattsburgh" for commanding the decisive American victory at the Battle of Plattsburgh during the War of 1812.
Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
Navy explorer who led the United States Exploring Expedition (1838-1842). During the Civil War, he caused the Trent Affair by intercepting a British mail ship and removing Confederate diplomats, nearly provoking war with Britain.
Lieutenant General, Imperial Japanese Army
Japanese commander of the 14th Army during the invasion of the Philippines, executed by firing squad for war crimes related to the Bataan Death March in which thousands of American and Filipino prisoners died.
Confederate guerrilla
Former Confederate guerrilla who rode with Quantrill's Raiders and "Bloody Bill" Anderson during the Civil War. He became America's most notorious outlaw before being killed by Robert Ford for the bounty on his head.
11 military events occurred on April 3, spanning multiple centuries. Key events include: Union Forces Capture Richmond (1865), Truman Signs the Marshall Plan (1948), Japanese Launch Final Assault on Bataan (1942), U.S. 3rd Infantry Division Seizes Baghdad International Airport (2003).
The most significant military event on April 3 is Union Forces Capture Richmond (1865). Union troops marched into Richmond, Virginia, after the Confederate government evacuated overnight. Retreating Confederates set fire to tobacco warehouses and military supplies, and the conflagration destroyed much of the city's business district. President Lincoln visited the smoldering capital two days later, sitting in Jefferson Davis's chair.
Notable military figures born on April 3 include Alexander Macomb (1782–1841), Charles Wilkes (1798–1877).
Events on April 3 span the Civil War, the Cold War, World War II, the Vietnam War, the Modern Era, covering 11 events across 3 centuries of military history.
Events on April 3 involve 3 branches of the U.S. and allied armed forces, reflecting the global scope of military operations throughout history.
Explore military history from the day you were born.
June 6
The Allied invasion of Normandy, the largest amphibious assault in history.
December 7
Japan attacks the U.S. Pacific Fleet, bringing America into World War II.
September 11
The deadliest terrorist attack in history transforms U.S. national security.
August 6
The first atomic bomb is dropped on a city, ushering in the nuclear age.
May 8
Nazi Germany surrenders unconditionally, ending World War II in Europe.
November 11
Armistice Day marks the end of World War I and honors all who served.
June 4
The turning point of the Pacific War as the U.S. Navy destroys four Japanese carriers.
July 4
The Declaration of Independence is adopted, sparking the American Revolution.
The FIM-92 Stinger helped win the Cold War by turning Afghan mujahideen into a credible anti-aircraft threat. By 2023, the United States almost ran out of them, because Raytheon stopped making them for 13 years, and the first 10 months of Ukraine support burned through the remaining stockpile.
These weapons were built to fight a war that everyone prayed would never happen. The Minuteman III has been on alert since 1970. The Typhoon-class carried enough nuclear warheads to destroy a continent. The Davy Crockett could be fired by three soldiers. Most of them have been waiting for 40 years. Here are 10 Cold War weapons built exclusively for World War III.
The MiG-31 was designed to catch the SR-71 Blackbird. It is still the fastest fighter in any air force. The Foxhound's Zaslon phased-array radar, the first ever installed in a fighter, can track 10 targets and engage 4 simultaneously at ranges exceeding 200 miles. Here is why Russia still flies a 1980s interceptor, and why the MiG-31BM carrying a Kinzhal hypersonic missile has changed what the aircraft means to modern warfare.
Nineteen armies on four continents chose the Leopard 2. No other Western tank comes close to this export record, and the reasons go far beyond German engineering.
