Company Aytch [Paperback]

Samuel R. Watkins (Author), M. Thomas Inge (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1999

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 writer -- a man with Twain-like talents who served as a foot soldier for four long years in the Confederate army. Originally published in 1881 as a series of articles in the Columbia, Tennessee, Herald, Sam Watkins's account has long been recognized by historians as one of the most lively and witty accounts of the war. Parallels between this text and The Red Badge of Courage suggest that Stephen Crane was also among Private Watkins's readers.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

M. Thomas Inge is the Robert Emory Blackwell Professor of Humanities at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia. Four times a senior Fulbright lecturer in universities abroad, he has edited more than thirty-five books, written award-winning books of his own on literature and popular culture, and contributed widely to scholarly publications. He lives in Ashland, Virginia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Plume (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452281245
• ISBN-13: 978-0452281240
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > History > Military > Life & Institutions
  • #4 in Books > History > Military > Regiments
  • #32 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > United States > Civil War > Military Leaders

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Told Private's View of Confederate Service, January 3, 2000

By 

Wayne A. Smith (Newark, DE) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Company Aytch (Paperback)

Sam Watkins writes a novel like autobiography of his years with the Army of Tennessee. His service saw the front lines of every major battle including Shiloh, Chickamagua, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Franklin and Nashville. Amazingly, this rebel came through intact and lived to vividly record his experiences.

This book is much more impressionistic than a historic telling of the facts (which Watkins reminds the reader frequently). It lays bare the attitude of a rebel private (although one suspects Watkins is much more literate and sophistocated than many of his fellows in the ranks) who endured starvation, forced marches, punishing battles and the monotony and arbitrary nature of camp life while serving a losing cause.

Watkins does an excellent job of letting the reader into his head. He reveals well the base existence and actions of ordinary soldiers who paid for the drama of the Civil War with their youth, blood and life.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Thoughtful, Humorous and Poignant Memory of the Civil War, October 16, 2000

By 

Gregory J. Baumbach (Baldwinsville, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Company Aytch (Paperback)

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!

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fine Civil War Memoir, May 13, 2001

By 

Mr Peter G George (Ellon, Aberdeenshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Company Aytch (Paperback)

I would not really recommend Company Aytch to those who are totally unfamiliar with the history of the Civil War. Watkins does not describe in detail the events of the various battles he took part in. Major battles like Shiloh and Chickamauga are covered in a few pages. Thus a reader unfamiliar with what took place might be somewhat confused regarding the overall picture, for these memoirs are not really history, or if they are history, they are history in miniature. But it is this fact which makes them so vital and so interesting. Watkins is a fine writer and he vividly describes what it was like to be a Confederate soldier. His account is frequently very funny, often moving and at times horrific. Thus he fleshes out the events which standard history books describe in general terms. Most history books would tell of which regiment attacked which at the `Dead Angle' on Kennesaw Mountain, describe how many died on each side and fit it into the account of the Rebel retreat to Atlanta, but Watkins places the reader alongside him actually fighting this vicious battle. Watkins is also very good on the topic of the daily life of the Confederate soldier, his struggle to find adequate food and clothing and the tough discipline which could see a soldier shot by his own side for a relatively minor indiscretion. Watkins describes numerous executions through the course of the book and they are harrowing.

The quality of the writing in Company Aytch varies somewhat. At times Watkins can be repetitive, especially with his overly frequent statements that he is not writing history. His often-expressed, and fully understandable, hope to meet his fallen comrades in the hereafter tends towards a clichéd vision of heaven. But Watkins can also mock 19th century piety, as when he describes the response of the soldiers to a parson's sermon prior to the battle of Chickamauga. In this way he shows how he could move beyond the conventions of his time. It is this ability which makes Watkins such an original writer, at times even an experimental writer. Not all the experiments work, but when they do they leave a lasting and lively impression of what the Civil War must really have been like.

This edition of Company Aytch edited by M. Thomas Inge, includes a useful introduction, chronology and glossary, plus various other examples of Watkins's writing. These additional pieces are generally expansions of Company Aytch, providing further information and descriptions of events not fully described in the text.