A classic Civil War 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. It is a testament to one man’s enduring humanity, courage, and wisdom in the midst of death and destruction. 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—a memoir of a humble soldier fighting in the American Civil War, replete with tales of the common foot soldiers, commanders, Yankee enemies, victories, defeats, and the South’s ultimate surrender on April 26, 1865.
Of the 120 men who enlisted in "Company H" (Or Co. Aytch as he calls it) in 1861, Sam Watkins was one of only seven alive when General Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee surrendered to General William Tecumseh Sherman in North Carolina on April, 1865. Of the 1,200 men who fought in the First Tennessee, only 65 were left to be paroled on that day. "Co. Aytch: A Confederate Memoir of the Civil War" is heralded by many historians as one of the best war memoirs written by a common soldier of the field. Sam R. Watkin's writing style in "Co Aytch" is quite engaging and skillfully captures the pride, misery, glory, and horror experienced by the common foot soldier.
Samuel R. Watkins enlisted in the Confederate army in 1861, joining a company of 120 men. When the American Civil War ended four years later, he was one of only seven survivors from Company H. They had fought in every major action of the Army of Tennessee, from Shiloh to Nashville. In “Co. Aytch” he tells of his experiences on the battlefield, of the misery, glory, and horror of combat for the common soldier, and of the desperate privations of wartime life in the Confederacy. Through it all the author retains his humanity, and these memoirs are justly famous for their honesty and intimacy. A Civil War classic, much-quoted and loved. This ebook edition includes 22 contemporary photographs of generals and politicians mentioned in the text.
This is a history of the Civil War years written by a Confederate soldier decades later. From the preface:""Co. AYTCH."-This week's Herald contains the last number of "Co. AYTCH" that will be published in the paper. The generals, and President, and Vice-President, and other high officials have published their accounts of the war, but Sam Watkins is the first high private who has written up the common soldier side of the matter. In big, gilt-edge books, the general, the President, and the Vice-President, tell about their plans, their battle, their retreats, their measures, and their ideas, and not a word about what the poor, sore footed, hungry, and naked soldier felt.In "Co. AYTCH" we see the old "webfoot," dressed in a dirty, greasy, gray suit-or rather non-suit-a cotton blanket thrown across his shoulder, and fastened under his cartridge-box belt; a greasy, dirty haversack hanging down-very thin and flabby; with shoes of untanned leather. There he goes, footsore, tired, and hungry, but chipper and sassy, and ready for the battle.In "Co. AYTCH" we see this same "webfoot" in camp, cooking his rations-corn meal bread, corn meal coffee, corn meal soup, blue beef, with not an eye of grease on it. He lies down on the cold ground, in an old thin blanket, and shivers through the night.In "Co. AYTCH" we hear this "webfoot" talking to his comrades, cheering their drooping spirits, discussing the situation, defending the general, hoping for final victory, and a glorious return home to father, mother, and sweetheart.In "Co. AYTCH" we see this same "webfoot," hungry, ragged, dirty, and footsore, "on the battle's perilous edge," the light of victory in his eye, a gun with a gleaming bayonet in his hands, springing forward like a deer, a ringing shout upon his lips, rushing up to the breastworks, behind which belch Napoleon guns and volleys of musketry; see him cross the abattis at a bound; see him as he stands upon the enemy's ramparts, shouting victory !In "Co. AYTCH" we see this same "webfoot" shot down by a minnie ball, and lying cold and stark in death, and thrown into a common shallow grave, unhonored, unknown, and unsung, far away from fond loved ones.In "Co. AYTCH" we see other soldiers, driven by hunger, stealing hogs, others deserting and going home. All this we see in "Co. AYTCH."Every old soldier, and every son of an old soldier, should have a copy of it.-Columbia Herald.
A classic Civil War 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. It is a testament to one man’s enduring humanity, courage, and wisdom in the midst of death and destruction. 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—a memoir of a humble soldier fighting in the American Civil War, replete with tales of the common foot soldiers, commanders, Yankee enemies, victories, defeats, and the South’s ultimate surrender on April 26, 1865.
Includes Civil War Map and Illustrations Pack – 224 battle plans, campaign maps and detailed analyses of actions spanning the entire period of hostilities. “A classic account of Civil War combat. This is a justifiably famous account of the Civil War told by an ordinary soldier from within the ranks of a Tennessee regiment within the Confederate Army. Often quoted, it tells in a direct way, the story of an infantry company at war. In this it has much in common with similar accounts of men living and fighting together in combat irrespective of nationality, age or conflict. This is an intimate portrait of war with all its comradeship, hardship, fear, horror and humour. We accompany Watkins and his comrades of Company ‘Aytch’ on campaign as he recollects, in his easy and personable style, encounters at Shiloh, Corinth, Murfreesboro, Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge and other bloody battlefields where they fought and died for the Confederate cause until the eventual surrender of the Southern forces. Highly recommended.”-Print ed.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.