This Friday, August 18, Carleton Young, author of "Voices in the Attic: The Williamstown Boys in the Civil War" will present the research behind his book at the Old Brick Church, 60 Church St, East Montpelier Village, 7:00pm. Sponsored by the Calais and East Montpelier Historical Societies.

After his parents passed away, Carleton Young was surprised to find a very old wooden box containing an enormous collection of letters written home by two brothers as they fought in the Civil War. The two soldiers, Henry and Francis Martin, grew up in Williamstown, Vermont. The letters had been passed down through the family of Carleton's father, William Young, who grew up in Barre and attended Spaulding High School, graduating in 1937.

After finding the letters, Carleton Young spent more than a decade visiting battlefields and researching the two soldiers as well as other people who are referenced in the letters. The Martin brothers were members of the celebrated Vermont Brigade in the Army of the Potomac. In "Voices From the Attic: The Williamstown Boys in the Civil War," Carleton tells the story of these brothers who witnessed and made history by fighting in the Peninsula Campaign, then at South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Mine Run, the Bristoe Campaign, the Wilderness, Petersburg, and Cedar Creek. That history is now preserved through the brothers' surprisingly detailed and insightful letters.

Please join Carleton Young and the Historical Societies this Friday, August 18, at 7:00.

Donna Fitch, Calais Historical Society

Event Info

Dec 31, 2024, 12 to 6 PM

Jan 3, 2025, 6 to 9 PM

Jan 5, 2025, 2 to 5 PM