Naming Civil War Battles

william42

First Sergeant
Joined
Feb 20, 2005
Location
Evansville, Indiana








Civil War Battle Names</FONT>
So many battlefields of the Civil War bear double names that we cannot believe the duplication has been accidental. It is the unusual which impresses. The troops of the North came mainly from cities, towns, and villages, and were, therefore, impressed by some natural object near the scene of the conflict and named the battle from it. The soldiers from the South were chiefly from the country and were, therefore, impressed by some artificial object near the field of action. In one section the naming has been after the handiwork of God; in the other section it has been after the handiwork of man. Thus, the first passage of arms is called the battle of Bull Run at the North,---the name of a little stream. At the South it takes the name of Manassas, from a railroad station. The second battle on the same ground is called the Second Bull Run by the North, and the Second Manassas by the South. Stone's defeat is the battle of Ball's Bluff With the Federals, and the battle of Leesburg with the Confederates. The battle called by General Grant, Pittsburg Landing, a natural object, was named Shiloh, after a church, by his antagonist. Rosecrans called his first great fight with Bragg, the battle of Stone River, while Bragg named it after Murfreesboro, a village. So McClellan's battle of the Chickahominy, a little river, was with Lee the battle of Cold Harbor, a tavern. The Federals speak of the battle of Pea Ridge, of the Ozark range of mountains, and the Confederates call it after Elk Horn, a country inn. The Union soldiers called the bloody battle three days after South Mountain from the little stream, Antietam, and the Southern troops named it after the village of Sharpsburg. Many instances might be given of this double naming by the opposing forces. According to the same law of the unusual, the war-songs of a people have generally been written s. The bards who followed the banners of the feudal lords, sang of their exploits, and stimulated them and their retainers to deeds of high emprise, wore no armor and carried no swords. So, too, the impassioned orators, who roused our ancestors in 1776 with the thrilling cry, "Liberty or Death," never once put themselves in the way of a death by lead or steel, by musket-ball or bayonet stab. The noisy speakers of 1861, who fired the Northern heart and who fired the Southern heart, never did any other kind of firing.</STRONG>


Source: Excerpt from an article written by General D.H. Hill, late of the Confederate army, that appeared in "Battles and Leaders of the Civil War."</STRONG>











Battles With Dual Names
Date of Battle



Confederate Name

Federal Name

July 21, 1861 First Manassas/ Bull Run Aug. 10, 1861 Oak Hills /Wilson's Creek Oct. 21, 1861 Leesburg /Ball's Bluff Jan. 19, 1862 Mill Springs /Logan's Cross Roads Mar. 7-8, 1862 Elkhorn Tavern /Pea Ridge Apr. 6-7, 1862 Shiloh /Pittsburg Landing June 27, 1862 Gaines's Mill /Chickahominy Aug. 29-30,1862 Second Manassas/ Second Bull Run Sept. 1, 1862 Ox Hill /Chantilly Sept. 14, 1862 Boonsboro /South Mountain Sept. 17, 1862 Sharpsburg /Antietam Oct. 8, 1862 Perryville/ Chaplin Hills Dec. 31, 1862-
Jan 2, 1863 Murfreesboro /Stones River Apr. 8, 1864 Mansfield /Sabine Cross Roads Sept. 19, 1864 Winchester/ Opequon Creek









 
My favorite: Fair Oaks/Seven Pines

Some others: Big Bethel/Great Bethel/Bethel Church ~ Malvern Hill/Crew's Farm/Pointdexter's Farm ~ Beaver Dam Creek/Mechanicsville ~ Honey Springs/Elk Creek ~ Fort Darling/Drewry's Bluff ~ Perryville/Chaplin Hills ~ Franklin's Crossing/Deep Run ~ Darbytown/New Market/Deep Bottom/Strawberry Plains ~ White Oak Swamp/Frayser's Farm/Turkey Bridge/Willis' Church

~ Highfly
 
Highfly:

I could be wrong, but I believe Fair Oaks/Seven Pines are sometimes considered two different battles -- same day, virtually simultaneous, but different troops on different parts of the field. Kinda like the Hornet's Nest/Sunken Road.

If I may take the liberty of quoting Gary, "Same thing, only different."

Regards,
Ole
 
Interesting. I can't add any battles, but here is a tidbit about the Battle of Wilson's Creek. The name of the creek was, and is, Wilson Creek. So many officers writing reports got it wrong that the battle became. Wilson's Creek.
 
rivrrat said:
Interesting. I can't add any battles, but here is a tidbit about the Battle of Wilson's Creek. The name of the creek was, and is, Wilson Creek. So many officers writing reports got it wrong that the battle became. Wilson't Creek.

Kind of like Harpers Ferry, which sometime in its early history lost the possessive apostrophe, if it ever had one.

Ole
 
I had no idea that Boonesboro was also the same battle as South Mountain, or that Perryville was also known as Chaplin Hills, or that White Oak Swamp and Frayser's farm was the same battle. I've been reading but evidently not paying enough attention to the material.:eek: Highfly, thank you for your contribution to this thread. As usual I learn something from this board every day!

Terry
 
Ole, thanks for the heads up on the "edit" button, and I thought I remembered from earlier in the year when I was posting, that you delete through the edit, but I just tried it again, and for some reason when I go to edit I cannot find the "delete" prompt anywhere. Am I looking in the right place? I'm thinkin' I'm goin' crazy here amigo.
 
I'm going to say Gettysburg. And I don't think I've heard of The Wilderness, Cold Harbor, or Petersburg referred to by other names. ( Here come the other names )

Terry
 
Wilderness = Combats at Parker’s Store, Craig’s Meeting House, Todd’s Tavern, Brock Road, the Furnaces

Fredericksburg I and II = Marye’s Heights

Cold Harbor = Second Cold Harbor

~ Highfly
 
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