Voices From the Attic: The Williamstown Boys in the Civil War
by Dr. Carleton Young, Ohio Alumnus
Imagine clearing out your family attic and discovering an enormous collection of letters written by two soldiers during the Civil War, but not knowing why the letters were there. Faced with that situation, Carleton Young spent more than a decade visiting battlefields and researching the two soldiers as well as other people who appear in the letters. The two brothers were members of the celebrated Vermont Brigade in the 6th Corps of the Army of the Potomac. In Voices From the Attic: The Williamstown Boys in the Civil War, he tells the story of these two 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. They then preserved that history through their surprisingly detailed and insightful letters.
The publication of the book was followed by many favorable reviews. Civil War News called it “a substantial contribution to the genre of first-person Civil War accounts becoming so popular today.” The Vermont History Journal called it “more than another good narrative, the book is an adventure of historical research and discovery.” 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, Carleton Young has been invited to share his story with more than 250 Civil War Round Tables, historical societies, and other organizations around the country.
Meetings starts at 7:00 in the large conference room in the Athens County Library at the Corner of Home and Lincoln streets in the City of Athens.
