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About the book
The waning days of 1862 marked a nadir in the fortunes of the Union. After major defeats at Fredericksburg in Virginia and Chickasaw Bayou in Mississippi, it fell to Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans and his Army of the Cumberland to secure a victory that would give military teeth to the Emancipation Proclamation set to take effect on January 1, 1863. On the day after Christmas, Rosecrans moved his army southeast out of Nashville to Murfreesboro, met Gen. Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee, and fought one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the war. The full campaign, with extensive new source material and coverage, is the subject of Daniel Masters’s new Hell by the Acre: A Narrative History of the Stones River Campaign, November 1862–January 1863.
The opposing armies—44,000 men under Rosecrans and 37,000 under Bragg—locked bayonets on December 31, 1862, in some of the hardest fighting of the war. Bragg’s initial attack drove the Federals back nearly three miles, captured 29 cannons, and thousands of prisoners. Somehow the Union lines held firm during the critical fighting along the Nashville Pike that afternoon against repeated determined attacks that left both armies bloodied and exhausted. The decisive moment came two days later when, in the fading afternoon of January 2, 1863, Bragg launched an assault on an isolated Union division on the east bank of Stones River. Once again, the Confederates enjoyed initial success only to be repulsed by 58 Union guns arrayed along the west bank and a daring counterattack. This repulse broke Bragg’s hold on Murfreesboro. He retreated the following night, leaving Rosecrans and his Cumberland army victors of the field.
Stones River was the quintessential soldiers’ battle. Prior books focus more on the generalship and high-level commands than the often-forgotten men in the ranks. Masters ably examines the strategy and tactics, but carefully constructed his study from the ground up by focusing primarily on the experiences of the front-line troops through hundreds of archival and firsthand accounts, many of which have never been published. Hell by the Acre is an unparalleled soldier’s view of Civil War combat and tactical command.
Stones River marked a turning point for Federal fortunes in the Western Theater, and this fresh and original study sets forth the hefty cost of securing that victory for the Union.
Advance Praise
“An instant classic. Hell by the Acre is a shining example of what the combination of thorough research and skillful writing can produce. Dan Masters has produced the seminal work on a battle that has never received this level of attention. Hell by the Acre will be the go-to source for the battle of Stones River.”
— Thomas Parson, Park Ranger, Corinth Interpretive Center, Shiloh National Military Park
“Dan Masters has delivered the definitive account of Stones River. With a formidable array of previously unused accounts gleaned from his extensive research, we finally get a soldier’s view of the engagement and a better tactical understanding of one of the most important, yet strangely underappreciated, engagements of the war. Dan’s fine account belongs on the shelf of every student of the Western Theater and the war in general.”
— William Lee White, Park Ranger, Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park, and author of Bushwhacking on a Grand Scale: The Battle of Chickamauga, September 18–20, 1863
“Hell by the Acre also thoroughly explains the critical military, political, and social currents that led more than 81,000 soldiers to Murfreesboro and made the Union victory there one of the most important of the Civil War. Dan Masters’ narrative blends a tapestry of primary sources with thoughtful analysis. The writing allows readers to experience the carnage alongside the soldiers while understanding how those ground-level accounts play into the movements and struggles of the opposing armies. Hell by the Acre is the most comprehensive and comprehendible study of the Stones River Campaign to date and will be required reading for all members of my team when it hits the shelves.”
-- Jim Lewis, Interpretation, Education, and Cultural Resource Management Programs Manager, — Stones River National Battlefield
