Book Review: Hell by the Acre: A Narrative of the Stones River Campaign, November 1862-January 1863
Hell by the Acre: A Narrative of the Stones River Campaign, November 1862-January 1863. By Daniel A. Masters. El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, 2025. Hardcover, 656 pp. $39.95.
Reviewed by Robert M. Dunkerly
There are already several good studies about the battle of Stones River, so some readers may ask, why do we need another? With his recent Hell by the Acre: A Narrative of the Stones River Campaign, November 1862-January 1863, Daniel Masters provides a solid answer. His approach is from the soldier’s point of view, and measuring double or triple the size of previous books on this battle, it provides the most detailed description of the fighting and maneuvering now in print. And while more does not always mean better, in this case it definitely does.
As Union efforts at Fredericksburg and Vicksburg floundered in December 1862, a third Union force, led by Gen. William S. Rosecrans, moved toward Gen. Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The two armies, nearly equal in size, fought the battle of Stones River (or Murfreesboro) from December 31, 1862 to January 2, 1863. The battle produced 23,000 casualties, making it the second bloodiest in the Western Theater.
Much like at Shiloh almost nine months before, an initial overwhelming Confederate attack gradually lost steam, and Union defenders rallied by the end of the day. A strike on January 2, 1863, at the other end of the battlefield ended in disaster for the Confederates. Faced with few good options, Bragg and the Army of Tennessee retreated, leaving the rich farmland and transportation facilities of Middle Tennessee in Union hands for the rest of the war.
Masters weaves together a variety of primary sources to produce a beautifully written and thoughtful analysis of events. Using diaries, letters, published and unpublished reports, and newspaper articles, the author skillfully examined and organized these accounts as no previous historian has for the battle of Stones River. Analyzing and synthesizing various accounts from so many perspectives and producing a coherent narrative is a challenge that Masters handles with success.
When writing military history, some writers speak in formal, general terms, describing brigades as exhausted or divisions as combat effective or not. Other histories are more personal and intimate, discussing men’s broken and wounded bodies. Masters blends both approaches to produce a work that simultaneously analyzes the tactical combat of the armies while also humanizing this cataclysmic event. Masters also shows how events in Middle Tennessee were interrelated with those in East Tennessee, Virginia, and Mississippi during that fall and winter of 1862.
While providing proper context is important, the book spends a great deal of time on the 1862 Kentucky Campaign that preceded Stones River. A shorter synopsis of the battle’s background events would move the reader more quickly to the action at Murfreesboro. Additionally, the issue of drunkenness among Confederate commanders receives little attention. Personally, I would have liked a deeper exploration of that topic. There are also no photographs of the battlefield. Their inclusion would have enhanced the well written text. The book could have also delved more deeply into the post-battle controversy between Bragg and his commanders. This thorny situation plagued the Army of Tennessee for the rest of the war. However, none of these minor quibbles detract from the overall effectiveness of the work.
Hell By the Acre is well written, with prose that is easy to read and digest. The writing is also vivid; one can almost sense the damp air and feel the soldiers’ aching legs from marching through thick mud. The author provides a good overview of the armies: their organization, unit make up, and supply issues, all key factors in how the battle unfolded.
The maps provide good detail and help follow the action. Maps for a battle such as Stones River are important because modern development has changed so much of the ground. The book’s maps show the terrain at it was at time.
The book includes a preservation message, which is especially important for Stones River since less than half of the battlefield is preserved by the National Park Service. With literally just a handful of open spaces left in the area of fighting, it truly is almost too late to save much more of the battlefield. Hopefully this book can spark interest for that effort.
Masters exhibits a good understanding of Civil War combat, showing his familiarity with weapons, unit capabilities and formations, and tactics. He deftly uses this knowledge to describe how the combat unfolded in the cotton fields and cedar thickets near Murfreesboro. In doing so, Masters allows readers to understand why some attacks met with success and others failed. Combined with keen analysis of the leadership of regimental and brigade commanders, the result is a brilliant step-by-step description of the battle.
An important historical event like a battle does not necessarily end when the shooting stops. The armies reorganize, the wounded receive treatment, the dead are buried, the battlefield is cleaned up. Readers follow these details in the aftermath of Stones River as thousands of wounded flooded the town of Murfreesboro and area field hospitals. As with the description of combat, the detail is vivid and includes analysis at the army level, as well as from personal experiences of the soldiers.
Stones River is often described as a battle with a violent beginning on December 31, a quiet middle on January 1, and a violent ending on January 2. However, Masters also shows that a good deal of action took place on January 1, such as cavalry fighting along the Nashville Pike and skirmishing along the lines. He also writes about crucial but often underappreciated events on the morning of January 2 that prompted the large Confederate attack later that day. These are valuable contributions to Stones River scholarship.
Several factors have historically marginalized the importance of the battle of Stones River. First, the Stones River National Battlefield Park is rather small, belying the engagement’s true significance. Additionally, few studies about this battle have appeared in recent years. Thus, for many enthusiasts, it is often not included among the war’s important engagements. Hell by the Acre provides much needed justice for Stones River. Masters explains each phase of the battle in great detail, and he provides proper emphasis to the importance of key landmarks like the Round Forest and the Nashville Pike. Hell by the Acre is highly recommended. There is perhaps nothing better for a cold winter evening’s read.
Dunkerly is the co-author with Caroline Ann Davis of Force of a Cyclone: The Battle of Stones River, in the Emerging Civil War series.
An excellent in-depth review of Dan Master’s new book. It is, to pun his last name, a masterful study, truly. Thank you ECW and Mr. Dunkerly!
An excellent in-depth review of Dan Master’s new book. It is, to pun his last name, a masterful study, truly.
We only have about 100 copies left of the first edition, first printing left, which means it is effectively sold out. If you want one (and why wouldn’t you?), I suggest visiting here (and we will ship it with a FREE signed author bookplate): https://tinyurl.com/ydfdm6zu
Thank you for supporting your independent publishers directly. It matters.
SPECIFICATIONS: 42 images, 17 maps, 6 x 9, hardcover, dust jacket, 672 pp. $39.95. A monumental examination of strategy, tactics, and generalship coupled with this unparalleled soldier’s view of Civil War combat. Based on dozens of never-used primary sources INCLUDING battle reports!
A useful summary/analysis. Thank you. This book seems well worth a read (although I doubt I’ll finish it in one evening, no matter how cold).
It is an excellent book. It was hard to put it down.
I’m currently reading it – agree that it’s hard to put down!
I bought a copy just last week. Looking forward to reading it.
I will a copy in my hands about a week and a half. Looking forward to reading it.
Excuse the horrible grammar – was slightly distracted.
Excellent article. One of my 25 ancestors who fought in the war was in Company C, 78th Pennsylvania, along with 7 brothers and cousins, and left us an outstanding diary of his experiences. It opens with him in hospital after being wounded in the face by buckshot at Stones River.