He marched and camped and fought with company h of the first tennessee regiment from the beginning until the end of the war. The author was in company h of the first tennessee all through the civil war, and it is as good a memoir as i have read of that war by one who fought in it. When running a book program or giveaway on a limited budget, we understand the challenges you can face finding high quality, lowcost books. When it comes to books about the civil war, many people agree wholeheartedly, company aytch is the best ever written. Tennessee infantry regiment, 1st, united states history civil war, 18611865 regimental histories tenn. Watkins is often featured and quoted in ken burns 1990 documentary titled the civil war. It should be noted that his regiment entered the war with 3,200 men, and ended with merely 65. Or, a side show of the big show, often heralded as one of the best primary sources about the common soldiers civil war experience.
Among civil war memoirs, it is considered a classic a living testament to one mans enduring humanity, courage, and wisdom in. Aytch, or a side show of the big show by sam watkins and edited by philip leigh. Among the plethora of books about the civil war company aytch stands out for its uniquely personal view of the events as related by a most engaging writera man with twain like talents who served as a foot soldier for four long years in the confederate army. Watkins 1839 1901 samuel sam rush watkins june 26, 1839 july 20, 1901 was a noted confederate soldier during the american civil war.
Civil war historian thomas cartwright portrays the books author, sam watkins. Company aytch has reigned as one of the most memorable and honest depictions of the american civil war since its original publication in 1882. Aytch, maury grays, first tennessee regiment of the. Aytch is the work of a natural storyteller who balances the horror of war with an irrepressible sense of humor. Aytch, maury grays, first tennessee regiment, or, a side show of the big show, by sam r. Sam watkins co aytch performed by thomas cartwright. Aytch, maury grays, first tennessee regiment by samuel r.
Was a brilliant gift for anyone interested in american civil war. A confederates memoir of the civil war the civil war was one of the bloodiest periods in american history. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. Among the plethora of books about the civil war, company aytch stands out for its uniquely personal view of the events as related by a most engaging writera man with twainlike talents who served as a foot soldier for four long years in the confederate army. Sam watkins describes the bloody battles he lived through from shiloh, chickamauga, dead angle, and many other engagements with the union forces until the very end of the war when lee surrendered to grant in virginia. A classic memoir of the civil war watkins, samuel r. Between the authors death in 1901 and the civil war centennial in the early 1960s, co. He fought through the entire civil war and saw action in many battles. Despite his low rank, watkins has found immortality through his 1882 memoir company aytch. Company aytch history 101 company aytch is a book that depicts the idealistic memory of a young confederate of the civil war named sam watkins. Some historians articulate towards watkins having insufficiency of precise facts and sometimes alteration or exaggeration on certain issues. The definitive civil war classic as sam wanted it revised complete with his edits, new perspectives. Watkins was a private in company h, first tennessee regiment of the confederate army. Often heralded as one of the most reliable and informative primary sources on the civil war, watkins describes his experiences during his service as an infantryman in the confederate army.
Very carefully and with terrific sensitivity, one would hope. Samuel sam rush watkins june 26, 1839 july 20, 1901 was a noted confederate. Aytch is the work of a natural storyteller who balances the horror of war with his irrepressible sense of humor and his sharp eye for the lighter side of battle. Western north carolina in the civil war civil war america. Or, a side show of the big show is the personal memoir of american civil war veteran samuel sam rush watkins.
Samuel sam rush watkins 18391901 was a confederate soldier during the american civil war. A side show of the big show is the work of samuel rush watkins, who served much of the american civil war in the first tennessee infantry, company h maury greys, fighting in the battles of shiloh, corinth, murfreesboro, shelbyville, chattanooga, chickamauga, missionary ridge, atlanta, jonesboro, franklin, and nashville, before being one of just seven surviving veterans in. Watkins originally published by the chattanooga times, chattanooga, tennessee, 1900, and now in the public domain. Today, he is best known for his enduring memoir, co. Aytch is the work of a natural storyteller who balances the horror of war with an irrepressible sense of humor and a sharp eye for the lighter side of battle. A confederate memoir of the civil war company aytch or a side show of the big show. A side show of the big show unabridged audiobook, by sam watkins. Person was delighted with book and began reading and looking through pages right away.
United states history civil war, 18611865 personal narratives, confederate subject. I could not imagine a modern infantryman putting up with the privations, executions and real battle slaughter as happened during the civil war. Text is from company aytch, or a side show of the big show, by samuel r. Company aytch is considered a classic in this genera, as well as it should be. Written in 1882 by private sam watkins of company h, 1st tennessee infantry regiment, private watkins was involved in all the major fighting in the west and even some in the east. In 1962, collier books opportunistically published it along with seven other outof civil war books, such as the memoirs of union generals ulysses s. It is also the one most frequently cited by historians of the western campaigns.
This book is considered to be the best account of the civil war ever written from the confederate point of view. The companion book to company aytch is all for the union, written by elisha hunt rhodes 2nd rhode island, usa. Genealogyblog the civil war memoir of sam watkins, veteran of every hardfought battle of company h, first tennessee volunteer infantry, remains the premier source of the privates view of that colossal struggle. Company aytch, or, a side show of the big show and other. Aytch was seldom reprinted and always in small editions. Originally, these memoirs were published serially in the columbia herald in 18811882. Though the author passed in july of 1901, his lives on as a notable piece of historical literature. Watkins read 5 jun 2011 this book was written in 1881 and first published in book form in 1882. Watkins, who was born near columbia, tennessee, in 1839, enlisted in company h of the first. Company aytch offers a rare and exhilarating glimpse of the civil war through the eyes of a man who lived it and lived to tell about it. Real, brutal and gritty it is well war is so terrible otherwise, we would grow too fond of it.
A civil war narrative is an account of the american civil war told by a common soldier, sam r. It is a testament to one mans enduring humanity, courage, and wisdom in the midst of death and destruction. Company aytch is a personal, first hand account, of the life and death struggle of a confederate soldier during the civil war. United states history civil war, 18611865 regimental histories subject. The classic memoir of the civil war by a confederate soldier sam r. Watkins is today one of the most wellknown common soldiers in civil war history. A private in company h, first tennessee infantry, sam r. Watkinss firsthand account of life as a confederate soldier eloquently captured the realities of war, the humor and pathos of soldiering, and the tragic, historic events in which he participated. Fortunately, ruth hill fulton mcallister has mastered this approach in her new release of co. Aytch was published in a first edition of 2,000 in book form in 1882. Among civil war memoirs, it stands as a living testament to one mans enduring humanity, courage, and wisdom in the midst of death and destruction. Aytch, first tennessee regiment, published more than 125 years after the original. Id never heard of it at the time but i figured it was about a southern soldier. June 26, 1839 july 20, 1901 was an american writer and humorist.
Of the 120 men who enlisted in company h in 1861, sam watkins was one of only seven alive when general joseph e. Watkins was 21 when he joined the 1st tennessee regiment, maury grays, at the end of the war he was one of only seven survivors, very nice copy in protected dust jacket. Or, a side show of the big show, often heralded as one of the best primary sources. H spelled aytch is what attracted me to the book thirty years ago. In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the civil war. The classic memoir of the civil war by a confederate soldier. Aytch has long been regarded as one of the finest memoirs written by a common soldier of the american civil war. Aytch 1882, which recounts his life as a soldier in the first tennessee. Among the plethora of books about the civil war, company aytch stands out for its uniquely personal view of the events as related by a most engaging writera. Sam watkins, a high private in the army of tennessee, brings a vividness and detail to his story.