Why do some Civil War battles have different names?
The Union and the Confederacy often gave separate names to Civil War battles. The North tended to name battles after rivers and streams, while the South usually named battles for nearby towns, communities, or railroad junctions.
For example, the battle that the North named “Bull Run” (after a stream), the South named “Manassas” (after a railroad station). The battle that the South named “Shiloh” (for the town of Shiloh), the North called “Pittsburg Landing” (for the landing on the Tennessee River). In keeping with this pattern, “Murfreesboro” was the Confederate name for the battle that the Union called “Stones River.”
Today many of the battles are known by one name, probably from popular usage. Since parks at battlefields were established by the federal government, most of those use Union names.
An exception is the battlefield at Shiloh. The cemetery at Shiloh was originally called Pittsburg Landing National Cemetery. In 1869 it was referred to as the Shiloh Cemetery at Pittsburg Landing. In 1888 the name of the cemetery was officially changed to Shiloh. By this time memoirs by General Ulysses Grant and General William Sherman had been published--they both refer to the battle at Shiloh. When the national park was established in 1894, it was designated Shiloh National Battlefield--the Confederate name for the battle.
The battlefield at Murfreesboro/Stones River was designated as the Stones River National Battlefield and today most people refer to the battle with that name.
Civil War and Reconstruction >> Civil War >> Battles >> Stones River
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