First Bull Run manassas // bull run naming convention?

I think one of the things we are overlooking is who named them. Most civilians both North & South had no way to know that a battle was even going on, or much less a name until that got their hands on a newspaper or from the telegraph operator. The newspaper were just like the newspapers of today in that they wanted to sell papers.
I don't think the soldiers themselves always had a name for a battle immediately after either. You'll see in many letters, diary entries, or reports written just after a battle they just refer to the date, e.g., "In the fight on Sept. 17." The official name(s) probably came along a bit later (weeks, months) as people started reflecting back on it and the word quickly spread.
 
Just as I thought, here are a few papers from right after the Battle of Manassas. The one Southern paper refers to it as the Battle of Stone bridge. The Union papers headlines are unreal.

newyorktimes.jpg
nytimesjuly241861.jpg
richmond-dispatch.jpg
 
Here's my favorite Schwallanscher. This would really sell papers in the North.
myfavorite.jpg
 
I really like this one as the KIA numbers are unreal. according to the newspaper copy our losses, 600 KIA & WIA "Rebel Loss over 3000" I think the Union missing total tells a lot?
nytimesjuly241861.jpg

Union
2,708

(481 killed;
1,011 wounded;
1,216 missing)

Confederate
1,982
(387 killed;
1,582 wounded;
13 missing)
 
This may have already been noted, but the general convention was for the north to name battles after topographical features such as rivers or streams (Bull Run), while the south named battles after geographic locations such as towns or rail junctions (Manassas).
 
There are several battles that came to be known by different names, North and South (e.g., Antietam/Sharpsburg). I don't think using one name or the other has any particular partisan significance, although for clarity when addressing non-CW buffs, it's probably better to use the more familiar, galvanized name.

The names can confuse a beginner, but it doesn't take long to catch on.

The one that makes the most sense to me is the Battle of Seven Pines vs. the Battle of Fair Oaks. The Confederates did the best at Seven Pines the first day, so they called it the Battle of Sevens Pines. On the second day at Fair Oaks, the Federals bested the Confederates, so they called it the Battle of Fair Oaks. What you call it kind of depends on which side you think did the best.
 
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