What happened in July 1861?

The first land battle of the Civil War - the Battle of Manassas or Bull Run - was fought.

First land battle of civil war

The first battle of Bull Run

the first land battle of the civil war was fought "the battle of madness".

First Battle of Bull Run (known in the South as First Manassas) 

Hi Vern.

In July 1861 there was a lot going on.

The first major land battle of the American Civil War, the 'Battle of Manassas' , or 'Bull Run', happened on July 21st. This was the culmination of months and years of tensions between Confederate and Unionist forces (eg: the Fort Sumter attack in April 1861). Unionist forces were heavily defeated, and the illusion that they would quickly win the war was shattered.

Aside from this, the US Congress authorized paper money for the first time, and the Crittenden Resolution was passed by Congress, re-stating that the intention of the war was to preserve the union, rather than to alter slavery.