The Brown Bookstore often hosts distinguished writers - from novelist Jonathan Safran Foer to former President Bill Clinton. But when Chris Oates '07 sits down in the author's chair to sign title pages on Nov. 16, he will celebrate a rare accomplishment: publishing a book while an undergraduate at Brown.Five years after he first began writing, Oates' book, titled "Fighting For Home: The Story of Alfred K. Oates," was released to bookstores Oct. 1. The book traces the experience of his great-great-great grandfather, who served in the Union Army during the Civil War. But Assistant Professor of History Michael Vorenberg, who advised Oates in the publishing process, said the book is more than one soldier's story."It's really regimental history for intellectuals," Vorenberg said. "(The book uses) a group of soldiers to understand larger themes that are important and relevant to all Civil War history."A trail of lettersA pouch of 99 yellowing letters served as the basis for Oates' historical narrative. Oates' ancestor, Alfred Oates, wrote the letters during his service in the Union Army. The pouch traveled from Pittsburg, where the letters had originally been mailed during the Civil War, to Massachusetts, where they sat in the attic of Chris Oates' aunt for over 50 years.In sixth grade, Chris Oates' father give him the letters after Chris told him he was learning about the Civil War in school. Over the next few years, Oates continued to read through the letters and seek out Civil War history.During a visit to Gettysburg National Military Park in the summer before his junior year, Oates decided to write a book about the Civil War. Flipping through the books in the Gettysburg gift shop, Oates realized that there were no books on the Fifth Regiment of the New York Excelsior Brigade, his great-great-great grandfather's unit."I (thought) I'll write one of these," Oates said. "I didn't think it would be that big of an ordeal."As Oates began writing, he began corroborating his family letters with secondary sources and old newspaper articles.He soon found himself fascinated by the regiment's story. "They seemed to be in almost every battle," he said.But sometimes there were contradictions between the letters and his research. For example, a New York Times column from the period reported that all the regiment's soldiers wanted to re-enlist.But the letters contradicted this, as Oates' ancestor wrote that no one in the regiment would sign up for another term.Oates worked on the book in his spare time and finished the manuscript after nearly two years. Before writing the 166-page book, Oates said he was "never a writer."From manuscript to hardcoverWhen Oates first approached Vorenberg with his manuscript in the fall of 2004, Vorenberg said he was impressed by Oates' scholarship. "It was surprising to me that someone so young had the commitment that it takes to write a whole book - and a good book," he said.Though Vorenberg teaches Civil War history courses, he said Oates had enough background in the period that taking one of Vorenberg's classes on the war "wouldn't have been a good use of his time."Before Oates approached Vorenberg, he had continued work on the book in an independent study with the late Professor Emeritus John Thomas during the spring of his first year at Brown. Thomas inspired Oates to change the book's focus from the regiment to Alfred Oates himself."It was during my time under Professor Thomas' guidance that this manuscript moved from a rudimentary collection of names and battles into a fast-moving story around a central figure," Oates wrote in his book's dedication.Once the book was finished, Oates sent his manuscript to major publishing companies. He received multiple rejection letters in the first few weeks."It's very hard to get a book published," Vorenberg said. "(Oates) was dogged and that's what you have to be."But the manuscript caught the eye of Cathy Brophy, president of Warren Publishing, who did not even realize Oates was still an undergraduate."I thought it was written by a much older person," Brophy said. She said this was the first time her company had published a college-aged author.Despite Oates' age, Brophy said working with him was a "pleasant surprise." "He's an easy person to work with, very professional, much beyond his years," she said.A historian to watch?Oates said seeing the book in its final form "is really weird ... it's weird to think of it as a final project." Though the book is published, Oates' work is not yet done. This semester he is working hard to spread word about "Fighting for Home," sending publication letters to family and friends. Oates' publisher sent copies to major newspapers to be reviewed, and Oates will sign copies at the Brown Bookstore next month. He will also appear at Civil War roundtable events during Brown's winter and spring breaks to promote the book.Thanks to Civil War buffs, Brophy said the book will sell well: "There's a huge audience because there are so many Civil War aficionados," she said.She hopes Oates will continue to write history books. "(This) really put him on the map as a historian to watch," she said.Despite Brophy's praise, Oates said he does not plan on writing any more books - at least for now. He is currently applying to graduate school and hopes to pursue a degree in international relations. But he won't rule out another book further down the road."I'm guessing I'm going to write another book sometime in my life, but not for a while," he said.
