What an amazing man this was. Sam Watkins was an extraordinarily intelligent, well-spoken, nuanced man. He balances a tone of whimsical despair with fierce patriotism. He speaks of his soldierly duty without lecturing on the divisive issues of the day. The Civil War is often called "a rich man's war, but a poor man's fight. You will be disgusted with the lofty rationalizations of slavery and states' rights by the former, written by aristocrats from their high castle.
Then when you read from humble Sam the life of the ordinary private soldier, you will come to respect the "poor men" fighting only to defend their homes. I think part of what makes this a great read is that Sam wrote it twenty years after the war, as a middle-aged family man. Doubtless the intervening years matured him, compared to how he would have written a journal as a year-old soldier in the moment. Oct 09, Ben Vogel rated it it was amazing.
There is a reason this book is so often quoted and cited in Civil War literature. It is a pure and unfiltered account; a remarkable chronology of a Confederate soldier who participated in nearly every major battle of the war. Watkins' story is filled with humor, tragedy, and every reflection in between. What he lacked in education he made up for with passionate writing of his amazing experiences. I had never before considered the irony of Civil War soldiers dying from tornadoes in their camps, b There is a reason this book is so often quoted and cited in Civil War literature.
I had never before considered the irony of Civil War soldiers dying from tornadoes in their camps, but of course it must have happened over the passage of four years in that part of our land. That is but one of a dozen vignettes that gave me a fresh perspective on a subject I thought I knew a fair amount about. Stories I have read in the works of others about the strange mechanisms of cannonball injuries are now revealed to likely have been sourced here.
Simple stories of camp life and how pickets behaved with their counterparts are only hinted at in the broader campaign literatures. Sam Watkins, I thank you, years too late, for the service you gave honestly to a cause you believed in; but more importantly, for leaving such a rich account behind, which if for no other justification, made your sacrifices and those of your friends and enemies hold greater meaning through time.
Feb 10, Margaret Skrivseth rated it it was amazing Shelves: So, it was with mixed feelings that I began this book. But, I'm so glad I did read it! This book provided a unique personal history of the Civil War. Taken from a series of newspaper articles written 20 years after the end of the war, the book provides Watkins'own memories of all aspects of serving in the army. He speaks of the cold, the lice, the general nastiness of everyday life.
He talks candidly about being a sniper and killing many men. He talks of the deaths of many of his close friends. Most interesting to me are his views of the generals he encounters. The heroism of some, the cruelty of others and the ineptitude of still others really put the war in perspective. This is a great book for Civil War buffs and general readers alike. For anyone interested in the American Civil War, this is a must read.
This first-person account of the war from the perspective of a Confederate soldier ranges from funny to heartbreaking. Sam Watkins writes in a breezy, energetic style which could have easily been a modern day blog—with brief, episodic entries which span his four year career as a "Johnny Reb. Sam Watkins memoir is one of the best I've read.
Mar 31, Joshua Horn rated it it was amazing. Probably the most famous memoir of the Civil War, and for good reason. It gives a unique look at the Civil War, from the perspective of the private soldier.
He often says he is not writing the history of campaigns and generals, but of what he saw as a soldier during the war. He has a different style as well. He writes in sections of a few paragraphs that are really separate stories. Its a very useful look into how the Civil War effected real people. Of all the civil war books I have read, this is the most accurate, amusing, sobering and wonderful of them all. Sam Watkins gives us the true and eyeopening tale of what it was like being a private soldier in the Confederate Army, and tells it so well, with witty character, of his experiences while accurately describing the horrors and realities of war.
I would recommend this book to young and old, especially those who have an interest in Civil War history. Aug 18, C. A unique and fascinating portrait of life in the Confederate ranks from someone who was there for the whole thing. A great if at times quite grisly read. Not for the faint. Watkins has a charming and entertaining voice even for a modern reader. This volume is a must-read for anyone who's interested in the Civil War.
Highest marks for this book. It is true that God left this man alive for a reason: Love authentic descriptions and, even though it's from a legitimate Confederate survivor, his words are golden. Good read, by all means. Renowned more for its style than its substance and its high jinks than its history, Samuel Watkin's Company Aytch is a memoir about remembering war as much as it is a memoir about a war.
Replete with just the right amount of mythology, Watkin's gripping and distinctly human record of his service with the 1st Tennessee is an essential read for any serious student of the War Between the States, although readers are cautioned to be careful what they trust. Originally conceived as a series of newspa Renowned more for its style than its substance and its high jinks than its history, Samuel Watkin's Company Aytch is a memoir about remembering war as much as it is a memoir about a war. Originally conceived as a series of newspaper article, Company Aytch reads like Dickens - all men are either heroes or villains, every action has a kind of moral lesson, and through it all the narrator, Sam Watkins, manages to be right in the thick of it.
Watkins comments on everything from the finer points of military tactics to the ethics of stealing food with a folksy charm peppered with learned references. The result is an account just real enough to be historical but just exaggerated enough to be charming. And one must be careful to keep abreast of these exaggerations. From his account of action in which one man kills dozens to his caricaturist depictions of generals like Lee, Jackson, Johnston, and Hood, Watkins never lets the truth get in the way of a good story.
Therefore, one ought never to focus too much on any one fact or quotation, but rather to view the entire narrative for what it is; a lesson on remembering events as much as it is a lesson on events themselves. So long as one approaches Company Aytch for what it essentially is - an old timer nostalgically reminiscing about what it was like during the "grand old days" - this account is an integral source when confronting conceptions and memories of the War Between the States.
I would highly recommend it to any student of this period of American history. This should be the one Confederate memoir for the layman to read; there aren't many good reasons for non-academicians to go around reading more than one Confederate memoir. Aytch would hold its own as a work of fiction, it reads so well.
Co. Aytch: A Confederate Memoir of the Civil War
I found two things jarring about the book. The first is the increasing incidence of invocations to the glory of the "Lost Cause" and of affirmations of Watkins' faith as the book and the war progresses. I took these to be a reflection of Watkins' memory as This should be the one Confederate memoir for the layman to read; there aren't many good reasons for non-academicians to go around reading more than one Confederate memoir.
I took these to be a reflection of Watkins' memory as he relived the increasing brutality of a war that grew more desperate as it progressed, but it's equally likely that this increasing incidence is due to overall changes in Watkins' outlook in the year he wrote his memoirs. Secondly, slavery is noticeably absent. Watkins doesn't give so much as a nod to the institution of slavery. I'm not even sure that the word "slave" appears in this book. I don't know what to do with this, other than hope Watkins somewhere knew that defending slavery in either word or action is so shitty that he had to erase its memory entirely or else risk ruining his book.
Here's what the National Parks Service has to say. Watkins' descriptions of army life are often humorous, touching, sarcastic, or brutal, but they are all told with a matter-of-factness that brings vividness to the incidents he details. There is a slight change in tone after Chattanooga, and this point is also where the invocations and affirmations start to ramp up. The book slumps right at the end with a couple of snide paragraphs parodying the victors of the war, but Watkins wraps up well with his epilogue.
Aug 28, Deb rated it liked it Shelves: As a result of this connection, I had high expectations for this memoir. Watkins wrote this collection of memories of his long war some twenty years after the fighting ended. He wrote largely of the experience of the infantryman, without attempting any This has been on my book shelf since Ken Burns' "The Civil War" first aired.
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He wrote largely of the experience of the infantryman, without attempting any larger perspective. Many of the battles are barely identified by name, and personalities he encountered come and go as he thought to add them in. He expressed the disdain of the hard-working, long-suffering foot soldier for the elevated officers, most of whom he obviously felt were worthless; and recounted the tedium, privations and despair of the fading glory of an increasingly ragged Confederate Army as the war wound to a dismal end.
He also seemed remarkably able to ignore the contradictions of war; battle was both glorious and horrible; he wrote lovingly of his girl at home, even as he flirted shamelessly with any pretty girl willing to feed him a nice meal; he railed against Sherman's devastating the countryside on his march through Georgia, even as he recounted numerous tales of "foraging" from the impoverished locals at every opportunity.
Still, his first-person descriptions of some of the battles is remarkable.
Co. Aytch: A Confederate Memoir of the Civil War by Sam R. Watkins
And by the end, the horrors of war pressed upon Sam more than the glories. Interestingly, Watkins mentions the Lost Cause--in , already being developed as the South rewrote the history of the War to something less like a loss and more of a noble battle still being waged. Ardent Civil War history buffs may enjoy this. Jul 23, Joyce Lagow rated it it was amazing Shelves: A well-written, very articulate memoir of the Civil War written 20 years later by a private in the Confederate Army of Tennessee.
His account is laced with sarcasm towards many of the officers of the Confederate army, and his judgement of Braxton Bragg is ext A well-written, very articulate memoir of the Civil War written 20 years later by a private in the Confederate Army of Tennessee. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Maybe if I had read the illustrated edition I would have liked it better. Had to read this book for school I don't really care for war stories, and I didn't really like this one.
An interesting account of a private in the CSA.
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I don't think anyone takes the story at face value, but I enjoyed the voice of the author. It got tedious for me though as there was no build up or climax, only a telling of events for pages. Andy rated it it was ok Oct 18, Wendy rated it it was ok Aug 10, Allen rated it it was ok Dec 28, Terry rated it it was ok Sep 09, Heather rated it it was ok Oct 23, Miguel rated it it was ok Apr 23, Sana rated it it was ok Nov 10, Dan rated it it was ok May 15, Khaing Myal rated it it was ok Mar 25, Sneha Talaviya rated it it was ok Mar 27, Leyen rated it it was ok Apr 15, Dispatched from the UK in 3 business days When will my order arrive?
Home Contact Us Help Free delivery worldwide. A Memoir of the Civil War. Description In celebration of the th anniversary of the Civil War: The definitive Civil War classic as Sam wanted it revised complete with his edits, new perspectives, authoritative text, and images of his changes. Company Aytch has reigned as one of the most memorable and honest depictions of the American Civil War since its original publication in Watkins's 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.
Although there have been other versions of Company Aytch published, this is the first with new material and revisions by Sam Watkins himself.