(A) There really isn’t a reason, history has just gotten jumbled over the years.
(B) The locals didn’t want the battle to be associated with their town, fearing a loss in trade, so they gave it a different name.
(C) Historians did not know and exact location for the battle until many years after it was fought, but they knew the general area and Manassas was the only town around for miles, so that was its name. Then, the exact area was found and the name changed.
(D) ** The North had more cities and therefore found the town of Manassas insignificant, naming the battle after the creek where it was fought instead (and vice versa with the South).
EXPLANATIONS BELOW
Concept note-1: -The battle has two names-First Bull Run and First Manassas. Why might this be the case? There really isn’t a reason, history has just gotten jumbled over the years. The locals didn’t want the battle to be associated with their town, fearing a loss in trade, so they gave it a different name.
Concept note-2: -Bull Run was the first full-scale battle of the Civil War. The fierce fight there forced both the North and South to face the sobering reality that the war would be long and bloody.
Concept note-3: -The first land battle of the Civil War was fought on July 21, 1861, just 30 miles from Washington-close enough for U.S. senators to witness the battle in person. Southerners called it the Battle of Manassas, after the closest town. Northerners called it Bull Run, after a stream running through the battlefield.
Concept note-4: -The First Battle of Bull Run (called First Manassas in the South) cost some 3, 000 Union casualties, compared with 1, 750 for the Confederates. Its outcome sent northerners who had expected a quick, decisive victory reeling, and gave rejoicing southerners a false hope that they themselves could pull off a swift victory.
Concept note-5: -There is a disparity between the sides in naming some of the battles of the war. The Union forces frequently named battles for bodies of water or other natural features that were prominent on or near the battlefield, but Confederates most often used the name of the nearest town or artificial landmark.