Speaker Dan Master’s topic is the research and writing process for his new book on Stones River titled Hell by the Acre. 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. Prior Stones River books, each excellent in its own way, focused on strategy, tactics, and high-level command decisions. Dan ably examines all these issues in a study carefully constructed to also present the view from the soldiers who fought the battle. His masterful use of hundreds of archival and firsthand accounts, many of which have never been published, sheds significant new light on the experiences of the front-line troops.