Co. Aytch: A Confederate Memoir of the Civil War | 
 enlarge | Author: Sam R. Watkins
Publisher: Touchstone
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  60 reviews
Sales Rank: 134915
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7
ISBN: 0743255410
Dewey Decimal Number: 973
EAN: 9780743255417
ASIN: 0743255410
Publication Date: November 1, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Early in May 1861, twenty-one-year-old Sam R. Watkins of Columbia, Tennessee, joined the First Tennessee Regiment, Company H, to fight for the Confederacy. Of the 120 original recruits in his company, Watkins was one of only seven to survive every one of its battles, from Shiloh to Nashville. Twenty years later, with a "house full of young 'rebels' clustering around my knees and bumping about my elbows," he wrote this remarkable account of "Co. Aytch" -- its common foot soldiers, its commanders, its Yankee enemies, its victories and defeats, and its ultimate surrender on April 26, 1865.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. Among Civil War memoirs, it is considered a classic -- a living testament to one man's enduring humanity, courage, and wisdom in the midst of death and destruction.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 55 more reviews...
 THE Best recollection of the Civil War I've Ever Read November 15, 2008
Sam Watkins style of writing makes this one of the most enjoyable books on the Civil War I have ever read! (And I have done a considerable amount of reading and research using soldier's diaries and memoirs). He was a born writer and this work holds it own against the works of Walt Whitman or Mark Twain. Watkins has a unique way of telling a story. Even when he relates the details of the deaths of friends who's bodies were often blown to bits while standing right next to him, then had to be left, dead or dying, on the battlefield, he does so in such a way that is touching, even heartbreaking, but not gory. He does not dwell on these facts. I found myself not wanting to put this book down. Watkins' style of humor keeps this from becoming just another story relating the horrors of the Civil War.
Being a Christian strongly influenced Watkins' personal behavior throughout the war years. He tells of rushing up to the body of a Union Soldier killed in that day's battle to take his shoes (his own were in shreds). However, when he looked down and saw that the dead man's eyes seemed to be looking straight into his; he was unable to remove anything from the body. As badly as he needed shoes,clothing and the man's personal effects; he could not bring himself to steal from a dead man. On another occason, he found that some men in his company were planning to steal a pig from an elderly woman living near their encampment- one who had fed him on a previous occasion. He refused to be a part of the theft and went back to camp. When he found that they had indeed gone through with the theft and had taken her only souce of meat - he went back to her house, apologized and paid her for the animal.
Needless to say, he went on to become a minister after the war. Watkins was a man of morality, of great devotion to his God, his family and his Country. You will NOT be disappointed with this book. His unique brand of humor carries the reader through the worst of times and brings you to the other side of this great war with a greater understanding of the effects it had on the lives of everyday people; soldiers and civilians. Watkins never gave up his belief in the South's right to fight for their way of life. He was NOT promoting slavery - he simply felt that the Southern cause was right. For him, it was about State's Rights, Home, and Family. A great read!! (It took me FOREVER to figure out that "Company Aytch" is "Company "H"!!!! How silly I felt when it finally dawned on me!
Great Coondition October 13, 2008
This book arrived to me in great condition and in a reasonable amount of time.
 Top rated memoir, but no Eugene Sledge September 24, 2008
First-hand accounts by combatants have always ranked highly in my list of favorite things to read. When I set out to read the highly touted Co. Aytch I was hoping for a gritty, down to earth story like that of another southern memoir writer, Eugene Sledge.
There is no doubting Co. Aytch's value as a window into the daily travails of the Confederate soldier, whether in camp, on the march or in combat. However, with pickets freezing by the dozen, a falling tree crushing a group of mourners, tornadoes and narrow steamboat escapes, it would appear that there is more Guy Sajer than Eugene Sledge about Sam Watkins.
Great Story September 17, 2008
This has to be one of the best books written about the civil war. Reading the experiences of this common soldier you realize how close they were to death from day to day. If you have any interest in the civil war, this book is a must read.
"The Fancies of Imagination in Forgetful Reverie" February 16, 2008
Interest in this particular Civil War memoir increased due to its being frequently quoted and referred to in the documentary series on "The Civil War" that aired on PBS stations almost twenty years ago. Thankfully, the success of the series caused "Company Aytch, or a Side Show of the Big Show" to be reprinted.
As a narrative device, film maker Ken Burns compared and contrasted the recollections of Samuel R. Watkins, a Confederate soldier who served in the Western theater of operations (principally in Tennessee and Georgia), with the diary entries of Elisha Hunt Rhodes, a Union soldier from Rhode Island. Both men saw significant combat action and both survived the war.
Although Rhodes recorded his immediate observations, Watkins began his memoirs after the war had ended and his book was published seventeen years after the Army of the Tennessee had surrendered. He had the advantage of being able to meditate on his experiences and I found his book to be of greater interest as a result.
I have read both "All for the Union" (Rhodes) and "Company Aytch" (Watkins). While both books have much to recommend them, I am partial to the latter. As a writer, Watkins produced more profound opinions. There seemed to be more color, humor, poetry and reflection in his prose. Rhodes seemed dull and factual in his summaries which often culminated with the slogan "All for the Union." I do not mean to diminish Rhodes or his military service in any manner, but Watkins is simply a better writer.
The conclusion of Watkins book is quite moving. It was memorable when broadcast on television and it is no less memorable when read from the printed page.
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