Columbian Arsenal Press
Author Dan Masters Specializing in preserving the lost stories of the Civil War
Current Titles
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About Columbian Arsenal Press
Background
Award winning author Dan Masters has been actively engaged in Civil War research for more than 25 years. With a focus on the war in the western theater, he founded Columbian Arsenal Press in 2017 with the mission of ensuring that the story of the common soldier was widely shared.
Roots
My personal journey of discovering the Civil War began with the receipt of my great-great-great grandfather's discharge certificate more than 25 years ago. Private James Morrow of Co. H, 1st Ohio Volunteer Cavalry served three years with the Army of the Cumberland- the more I learned about his service, the more I became intrigued about how it was that the ordinary foot soldiers of the Civil War actually fought the war. Generals and admirals may direct battles, but it is upon the extrordinary endurance and courage of the men in the ranks that battles and wars are won.
Writing Style
I view my role as a writer as introducing the reader to the main characters of the scene, providing context to what occurred, and then letting the participants describe their experiences in their own words. General William Tecumseh Sherman may have said it best in 1865 when he told a rapturous crowd in Columbus, Ohio:
"I can tell you nothing new about the war, can describe no new scenes in our long campaigns for, from Columbus to Portsmouth, from the Ohio River to Lake Erie, you will find in every house and every hamlet a bluecoated boy who marched and has told the story better than I can do it, because he saw it inside and outside."
By giving voice to the common soldier, we ensure that their sacrifices are remembered, honored, and given their due place in our history. Our mission at Columbian Arsenal Press is to provide a platform to those long silent voices who saw the war "inside and outside."
NEWS
NEWS AND EVENTS
2025-2027 Speaking and Event Schedule:
Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.
Online presentation to American Civil War Museum, Richmond, Virginia
"Hell by the Acre: A Narrative History of the Battle of Stones River."
To register: https://acwm.org/events/
Saturday, May 3-Sunday May 4, 2025
Mansfield Civil War Show, Richland County Fairgrounds, Mansfield, Ohio
Table set up to sell and sign books
Thursday, May 8, 2025 at 7 p.m.
Monroe County Civil War Roundtable, Ellis Library, Monroe, Michigan
"Hell by the Acre: A Narrative History of the Battle of Stones River."
Saturday, May 10, 2025 at 7 p.m. EST/6 p.m. CST
Facebook Live with the Civil War Roundtable of Central Louisiana
"Hell by the Acre: A Narrative History of the Battle of Stones River."
Friday, May 16, 2025 at 7 p.m.
Kalamazoo Civil War Roundtable, Westwood United Methodist Church, 538 Nichols Rd., Kalamazoo, Michigan
"Hell by the Acre: A Narrative History of the Battle of Stones River."
Friday, June 6, 2025, time TBD
Shiloh National Military Park, 1055 Pittsburg Landing Rd., Shiloh, TN 38376
Book signing at visitor's center
Saturday, June 7, 2025 at 10:30 a.m.
Brice's Crossroads Foundation Membership Weekend
Claude Gentry Theatre, 110 W. Main St., Baldwyn, Mississippi 38824
"The 72nd Ohio and Brice's Crossroads."
Saturday, June 7, 2025 from 2 p.m.-5 p.m.
Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center, 501 W. Linden St., Corinth, MS 38834
Book signing at bookstore
Thursday, July 10-Sunday July 13, 2025
Blue and Gray Education Society Tour of the Stones River Campaign
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
https://blueandgrayeducation.org/tours/
Monday, August 11, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.
Civil War Roundtable of Northeast Indiana
Allen County Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802
"Hell by the Acre: A Narrative History of the Battle of Stones River."
Sunday, August 24, 2025
Dan Sickles Civil War Roundtable Virtual Talk
"Hell by the Acre: A Narrative History of the Battle of Stones River."
Friday, September 5-Saturday September 6, 2025
Savas Beatie Author's Meetup
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Sunday, September 7, 2024
Vandalia Civil War Day, Vandalia, Ohio
Monday, September 8, 2025 at 6:15 p.m.
Mahoning Valley Civil War Roundtable, Canfield, Ohio
"Hell by the Acre: A Narrative History of the Battle of Stones River."
Wednesday, November 12, 2025 at 7 p.m.
Cleveland Civil War Roundtable, Holiday Inn, Independence, Ohio
"Hell by the Acre: A Narrative History of the Battle of Stones River."
Tuesday. January 20, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Zanesville Civil War Roundtable, Zanesville, Ohio
Stone Academy Historic Site and Museum, Zanesville, OH
"Hell by the Acre: A Narrative History of the Battle of Stones River."
Monday, February 2, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Atlanta Civil War Roundtable, Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta History Center, 130 West Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30305
"Hell by the Acre: A Narrative History of the Battle of Stones River."
Thursday, September 3, 2026 at 7 p.m. C.S.T.
Bella Vista Civil War Roundtable, Bella Vista, Arkansas
Bella Vista Historical Museum, 1885 Bella Vista Way, Bella Vista, AR
"Hell by the Acre: A Narrative History of the Battle of Stones River."
January 21, 2027 at 6:30 p.m.
Miami Civil War Roundtable Virtual Event
"Hell by the Acre: A Narrative History of the Battle of Stones River."
News
CURRENT PROJECTS
Echoes of Battle: Annals of Ohio's Soldier's in the Civil War, 1861-1865 Volume 1, Philippi to Perryville. This expanded and illustrated edition includes 100 photographs, many of them published for the first time is now available in both hardcover and softcover editions.
Hell by the Acre: A Narrative History of the Stones River Campaign is now available as of November 15, 2024 through Savas Beatie as a first run hardcover edition. If you're interested in a copy, you'll want to order soon as they are nearly sold out.
Faces of Stones River is complete and will be released in April 2025 and will be on sale for the first time at the Mansfield Civil War show May 3-4, 2025.
Future projects include:
1) Echoes of Battle Volume 3: Dalton to Durham Station set for release in late 2025 via Columbian Arsenal Press.
2) A volume of Stones River material tentatively entitled Stones River Unhidden featuring lost missing in action reports plus casualty lists for both armies. Under contract with Savas Beatie.
3) Maps of Stones River book under contract with Savas Beatie. This one is in the very early stages and is a few years away from completion.
4) Stardust Fallen Among the Bluegrass: A Narrative History of the Kentucky Campaign, June-October 1862; a "prequel" to Hell by the Acre which is also several years away from completion. I am currently researching and gathering material for this volume and am undecided as to future publication plans.
Keep the Soldiers' Letters
Hardin County Republican July 10, 1863
Mother, father, brother, sister, wife, sweetheart, keep that bundle sacredly! Each word will be historic, each line invaluable. When peace has restored the ravages of war, and our Nation's grandeur has made this struggle the most memorable of those conflicts by which ideas are rooted into society, these pen pictures of the humblest events, the merest details of the routine life led in winning national unity and freedom will be priceless. Not for the historian's sake alone, do I say, keep those letters, but for your sakes who receive them, and ours who write them. The next skirmish may stop our pulses forever, and our letters, full of love for you, will be our only legacy except that of having died in a noble cause. And should we survive the war, with health and limb uninjured or bowed with sickness or wounds, thos letters will be dear mementos of dangers past, of trials borne, or privations suffered, or of comrades beloved.