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 the past 20 years. With a focus on Ohio infantry regiments and documenting the thousands of letters contained in Ohio's newspapers during the Civil War, he founded Columbian Arsenal Press in 2017 with the mission of ensuring that these incredible accounts were made available to a wider audience.
Roots
My personal journey of discovering the Civil War began with the receipt of my great-great-great grandfather's discharge certificate more than 20 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
My 2023-2024 Speaking Schedule:
Tuesday, October 17, 2023 at 7 p.m.
Stillwater Civil War Roundtable in Troy, Ohio
Troy-Hayner Cultural Center, 301 West Main St., Troy, OH 45373
"The 57th Ohio at Shiloh"
Thursday, April 4, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Cobb County Civil War Roundtable in Marietta, Georgia
"Battle of Stones River"
Thursday, April 11, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Monroe County Civil War Roundtable in Monroe, Michigan
Ellis Library, 3700 South Custer Rd., Monroe
"Bragg and Rosecrans: A Contrast in Command"
MEDIA:
The Sidney Daily News recently ran a story about my upcoming appearance at Sidney's Civil War Living History weekend event:
Author Dan Masters was a guest on Fred Lefebvre's morning show on WSPD 1370 AM Toledo on Thursday May 25, 2017 at 8 a.m. Here are the links to the podcast of this interview:
Roy Wilhelm referenced Sherman's Praetorian Guard in his recent column in the Fremont News Messenger of April 5, 2018.
News
CURRENT PROJECTS
Echoes of Battle: Annals of Ohio's Soldier's in the Civil War, 1861-1865 Volume 2: Fredericksburg to Fort Sanders is well underway and scheduled for release at the 2023 Mansfield Civil War Show. The second in our Ohio in the War trilogy, the roughly 400-page volume 2 will feature more than 100 firsthand accounts from Buckeye soldiers covering the most critical year of the war. Loaded with previously unseen battle content, this volume will present lengthy sections on Stones River, Chancellorsville, the Vicksburg campaign, Gettysburg, and Chickamauga. Larry and I will both be attending the Mansfield Civil War Show at the Richland County Fairgrounds and will have signed copies for sale.
I am also currently writing a book length study of the Stones River campaign tentatively entitled Adrift In a Sea of Blood: A Narrative History of the Stones River Campaign that will be published through Savas Beatie in 2024.
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.