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 2022 Speaking Schedule:
Wednesday June 29, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. EST (6:30 p.m. CST)
Kenosha Civil War Museum- Zoom meeting available with details to follow
"Buckeyes at Gettysburg"
Wednesday, September 14, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. EST (6:30 p.m. CST)
Kenosha Civil War Museum- Zoom meeting available with details to follow
"Ohio at Chickamauga"
Monday, September 26, 2022 at 7 p.m.
Zanesville Civil War Roundtable in Zanesville, Ohio
"Ohio and the Stones River Campaign"
Monday, October 10, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.
Mahoning Valley Civil War Roundtable in Canfield, Ohio
"Arming Sherman's Buckeyes Before Shiloh"
Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 7 p.m.
Central Ohio Civil War Roundtable
"Buckeyes at Chancellorsville" in Gahanna, Ohio
MEDIA:
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 1: Philippi to Perryville is complete and scheduled for initial release in April 2022. This 398-page volume features more than 100 firsthand accounts from Buckeye soldiers describing the action of the first 18 months of the war; everything from the first small skirmishes in Virginia to some of the bloodiest battles of the entire conflict including Shiloh, Second Bull Run, and Antietam and dozens of other engagements. Larry and I will both be attending the Mansfield Civil War Show April 30-May 1 at the Richland County Fairgrounds and will have signed copies for sale.
I am also working on a book length study of the Stones River campaign for future publication with a major Civil War publisher.
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.