INTERESTED IN THE CIVIL WAR?? MARK YOUR CALENDAR……..

Join us in the BPL Community Room in the library on Sunday, September 15th @ 1:30pm.

Speaker, Carleton Young states: The background to my story is that about twelve years ago, after my parents had passed away, I was clearing out their house in Pittsburgh and was surprised to find a very old wooden box in the attic. Inside the box was an enormous collection of about 250 letters written home by two Vermont brothers as they fought in the Civil War. The two soldiers were from Williamstown and had attended Barre Academy on the site of the original Spaulding High School (now of course the Vermont History Center). There are also many close ties to Northfield with young men from the area joining the Vermont Brigade and Norwich University graduates serving as officers.

It turned out that the two soldiers wrote very descriptive letters about their experiences during the war. They were members of the Vermont Brigade, the only brigade in the Union Army consisting of men from only one state. This brigade became renowned for their courage and fighting ability. They fought in many of the most famous battles of the Civil War, and suffered more casualties that any other brigade in the war.

After discovering the letters home of these two brothers, for more than a decade I visited battlefields to retrace the steps of these soldiers during the war. Based on this research, I published the book Voices From the Attic: The Williamstown Boys in the Civil War. The publication of the book was followed by many positive reviews. For example, Vermont History said the book "is more than another good narrative. It is an adventure of historical research and discovery." Civil War News said that the book "is a substantial contribution to the genre of first-person Civil War accounts becoming so popular today and would make a worthwhile addition to any Civil War student's bookshelf." The Western Pennsylvania History Journal said that the book "offers a deeply interesting look into two detailed experiences of the war which explore the battles as well as life in between. Unlike other soldiers who may have skipped over tough details when writing home to families, the brothers did not shy away from describing the horror of battles, their hardships in camp, and what they saw as they marched through the South. More than merely satisfying an interest in the war, the author demonstrates our surprising connections to each other both past and present." As a result of such reviews, over the last two years I have been invited to share my story in nine states with more than 150 historical societies, libraries, and other organizations.

PLEASE JOIN US WHILE HE TELLS HIS STORY. BRING A FRIEND! Light Refreshments served.