- Jul 2 General Early and Confederate forces reach Winchester en route to Washington, D.C.
- Jul 2 Statuary Hall in US Capitol forms
- Jul 3 Battle of Chattahoochie River, Georgia [until Jul 9]
- Jul 3 Harpers Ferry, West Virginia - Federals evacuate in face of Early's advance
- Jul 5 Battle at Chattahoochee River, Georgia (Skirmish at Pace's Ferry) fought during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War
- Jul 5 Battle of Smith's Expedition, Mississippi (Tupelo, Harrisburg)
- Jul 8 The Shinsengumi sabotage the Choshu-han shishi's planned attack on Kyoto, Japan at Ikedaya. This event is known as Ikedaya Jiken.
- Jul 9 Battle of Monocacy, Maryland, confederate forces led by Lieutenant General Jubal Early
- Jul 11 Confederate forces led by General Jubal Early begin invasion of Washington, D.C. with the Battle of Fort Stevens
- Jul 13 Early retreats from Washington City back to Shenandoah Valley
- Jul 14 Gold is discovered in Helena, Montana
- Jul 15 Troop train loaded with Confederate prisoners collided with a coal train killing 65 and injuring 109 of 955 aboard
- Jul 17 CSA President Davis replaces General Joe Johnston with John Bell Hood
Lincoln Calls for Volunteers
Jul 18 US President Abraham Lincoln asks for 500,000 volunteers for military service
Battle of Atlanta
Jul 22 Battle of Atlanta: General Sherman's Union side defeats Confederate troops under General Hood, with 8,449 Confederate and 3,641 US casualties
- Jul 26 -30] US Civil War: Union Brig. General Edward McCook leads unsuccessful cavalry raids at Lovejoy Station, Georgia
- Jul 26 -30] US Civil War: Union General George Stoneman leads unsuccessful raid in Macon, Georgia
- Jul 27 Battle of Darbytown, Virginia (Deep Bottom, Newmarket Road) (Strawberry Plains)
- Jul 28 2nd day of battle at Deep Bottom Run, Virginia
- Jul 28 US Civil War: Battle at Ezra Chapel - Union forces under Major Gen. William Sherman defeat Confederate Lt. General John Bell Hood near Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia
- Jul 29 American Civil War: Battle at Deep Bottom Run, Virginia, 3rd and last day
- Jul 29 American Civil War: Battle of Macon, Georgia (Stoneman's Raid)
- Jul 30 Battle of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania - burned by Union forces under McCausland
Siege of Petersburg
Jul 30 US Civil War, Siege of Petersburg: Union General Ambrose Burnside fails in an attack on Petersburg, Virginia, in the Battle of the Crater
General of Volunteers
Jul 31 Ulysses S. Grant is named General of Volunteers
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