A passion project and a lesson in history publishing

Local author Alice Evans on researching her new book, Our Suffering Brave: Waitsfield Boys and Men in the Civil War

For the society’s summer program in July, Alice Evans, an author and historian based in Waitsfield, presented her research on Civil War soldiers with a verified connection to the little town in the Mad River Valley. It began in 2013 with the number 87 and became a nearly decade-long quest, navigating archives, rosters, and the perils of the publishing world along the way.

Alice Evans, July 25, 2026 in the Steele Community Room, Waterbury Municipal Complex.

According to a 1907 Waitsfield town history, 87 men and boys joined up to fight for the Union. This text claimed to be based on the Revised Roster of Vermont Volunteers compiled by Vermont’s Adjutant General, Theodore S. Peck, in 1892. This was the story long shared in town accounts and by the Waitsfield Historical Society. But when Evans counted the names on the town’s commemorative plaque, she only found 86! Multiple recounts arrived at the same number.

“As a former statistician, that really bothered me,” Evans quipped.

A history mystery

After comparing the plaque with the Revised Roster, Evans realized that the omission was deliberate: That soldier was the one who deserted his company. 

This bit of research led her to investigate the validity of other pieces of information commonly shared in town and by the historical society about the regiment. After countless hours combing through primary sources of the late 19th century, Evans discovered there were more Waitsfield boys and men who served in the Union Army than anyone seemed to realize.

She had a list of names and regimental accounts, mostly catalogued in spreadsheets. Boring, she thought. What would she do with that?

What Evans did was toss her voluminous notes and spreadsheets into a dumpster.

Then she began rethinking her whole approach to historical research, knowing that she wanted people to want to read about these soldiers and learn from the material. Evans was going to focus on telling the stories of the Union soldiers from Waitsfield. Starting in 2018, she was writing almost everyday and traveling extensively to Civil War archives around the country for research.

After publishing a series of nine essays for the Valley Reporter about her research and travels, Evans had built the confidence to tackle a full book.

Alice Evans presents at the Historical Society's summer program in July.

Evans then attended a workshop at Bridgeside Books about how to write and publish a book, learning about the importance of marketing. But she quickly realized that passion projects and book sales are in deep tension with each other–and she was passionate about her project while utterly despising marketing goals.

A lesson in history and publishing

She decided instead to look for Central Vermont-based resources, landing on a publishing firm in Waitsfield that she didn’t even know was there. By publication, Evans had identified a total of 163 men and boys from Waitsfield, with three more discovered since publication. Just over 20% of these soldiers never came home. 

Alice Evans answers questions from the audience with moderator Skip Flanders from the historical society's Program Committee.

Now, her first response to inquiries about where to find her book is, “the local library,” before acknowledging how readers can purchase a copy. 

Readers can find Our Suffering Brave: Waitsfield Boys and Men in the Civil War (Distinction Press, 2023) at their local Vermont library or by ordering through their local bookstore.

This program was co-sponsored by the Waterbury VT250 Planning Committee.