Company Aytch by Samuel R. Watkins Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Company Aytch
Book Review: A Good Read
Summary: 4 Stars
If you have an interest in buying the book i would say you are probably already familiar with the Civil War, and therefore would have a bsic knowledge of the War. This book really is best for describing one person's experiences, instead (as Watkins acknowledges) of being a complete history. It is good because it captures the spirit of the southern soldier, adventerous and young and ready to fight. One of the remarkable things about the book is that innocent respect that Watkins keeps for the Leaders of the Confederacy, even when he expresses that they were "incompetant" (Hood and Davis). It is something that you wouldn't find in a Memoir by a Viet-Nam era veteran; even though Watkins expresses the same resentment that a soldier of that era would express against the officer corps.
Watkins also had a genuine talent for prose that comes through. this is especially evident in the way he describes the disintegration of the Army of the Tennesee at war's end.
He emerges as a complex figure. religious and respectful of death, but able to kill- in his words- like a machine.
Weakness of the book- Watkins gets names and facts confused.
Book Review: A Respectable Piece of Civil War Literature
Summary: 4 Stars
This book was written by a Confederate private who served in the Army of Tennessee for nearly the entirety of the Civil War. Published in serial form after the war (one reviewer suggested that his material was written during the war, such as a diary would have been; however, that reviewer is simply incorrect, and the distinction is important enough to warrant mention) and then in book form in 1880, this memoir of civil war experiences from a private's perspective is priceless in terms of primary source material. Watkins is frank and unapologetic, a quality that provides the historian with unique material in terms of dealing with the sentiments that the non-elite confederates often held.
Watkin's candor is probably the most important feature of this work. His hatred of Yankees and often equally strong hatred of some of the Confederate command suggests an individual who probably defies current simple notions of Yankee/Rebel mentality. Watkins is often witty, especially when reflecting upon feelings that we would now understand as being imbedded in "class struggle". Of course, Watkin's frankness extends to his views of blacks and slaves, illuminating an individual who was both racist and yet not in the generally held stereotypical manner.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the Confederate experience from the perspective of the non-elitist point of view. This book would be great for a high school curriculum covering the Civil War era, and would also be a good part of any similar college-level syllabus. This is a relatively quick read (especially when compared to such works as "Mary Chesnut's Civil War" or "The Diary of Edmund Ruffin"), which makes it ideal for those just beginning their exposure to the Civil War or more specifically to the Confederate experience.
Book Review: A Thoughtful, Humorous and Poignant Memory of the Civil War
Summary: 5 Stars
Sam Watkins produced a series of articles for his local paper about twenty years after the War Between the States, which allowed his memory to treat the conflict with a little humor, but still captures the feelings and emotions of a combat soldier in the momentous time period between 1861 and 1865. Like Elisha Hunt Rhodes from Rhode Island, Sam incredibly lasted for the whole war, one of only about 5% of his regiment who survived the conflict! His telling of the events is laid back, honest, and treated with both respect for the dead and honor for the suvivors, and with subtle humour throughout.A hard book to put down from start to finish, regardless of which side your ancestors fought on (or even if you didn't have ancestors who fought...) Sam's memories were used in the production of Ken Burn's documentary on the Civil War, together with Rhodes', providing the common soldier's perspective of the event.
You will understand a lot more about the real conditions of the time period after reading this insightful book!
Book Review: A solid book about how the Confederates fought the war.
Summary: 4 Stars
I was drawn to this book a long time ago when I watched the Civil War series and saw Shelby Foote and Ken Burns mention this book. I purchased this book a while ago and have just got around to reading it. It is a powerful statement of the war.
The author claims with some reason that the common people fought the war but the benefits and laurels went to the generals. How true? They expended their blood, while the generals frittered away lives and killed people. Watkins is most harsh on Bragg. I wondered why Bragg was so hated. He imposed discipline on the common soldier by the firing squad. Johnson is depicted as one of the boys, a general that appreciated the efforts of his soldiers. Although Watkins personally liked Hood, he thought him beyond his skill range.
As the author himself states, this is not history, but the recollections of a common soldier in the Civil War. It has a common theme that war is horrible and should only be fought if necessary. This is a good read on the Civil War.
Book Review: A truly unique Civil War book
Summary: 4 Stars
There are many of histories of the Civil War, but I don't know of many first-hand accounts. This is the only one I've read, and it tells the story of the war from start to finish. It is far more entertaining than a history (compared to say Shelby Foote's epic tomb), but I am not sure that it really conveys the horror of the war. It does however effectively convey what the life of a soldier was like, although I get the feeling that the mores of the time keep him from describing everything. I don't think "gritty" accounts really occurred in autobiographical works back in those days. It is a shame, because while this book is interesting, I would've greatly enjoyed a more open and honest tell-all about all the dirty details of that conflict, told first hand.