Watkins read 5 jun 2011 this book was written in 1881 and first published in book form in 1882. The author was in company h of the first tennessee all through the civil war, and it is as good a memoir as i have read of that war by one who fought in it. Samuel sam rush watkins 18391901 was a confederate soldier during the american civil war. This book is considered to be the best account of the civil war ever written from the confederate point of view. However, his perspective being put aside, this book stands as one of the best documentaries that chronicles the conditions of the soldiers and citizens during the. Three types of effective book reports are plot summaries, character analyses, and theme analyses.
Sam watkins company aytch nonfiction history of the. He tells his story of joining the first tennessee regiment, company h, to fight for the confederacy. Aytch, or a side show of the big show by sam watkins and edited by philip leigh. Company aytch history 101 company aytch is a book that depicts the idealistic memory of a young confederate of the civil war named sam watkins.
A primary source analysis the civil war ended well over 150 years ago but yet it is still widely debated and discussed. Aytch is the work of a natural storyteller who balances the horror of war with an. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. This account is from the common soldier, who knew little of the larger picture, yet did the majority of the brute fighting. Maury grays, first tennessee regiment or, a side show of the big show see other formats. Well as stated previously, it was battle, battle, battle, every day, for one hundred days. The boom of cannon, and the rattle of musketry was our reveille and retreat, and sherman knew that it was no childs play. The start of your book report provides an opportunity to make a solid introduction to the material and your own personal assessment of the work. He fought through the entire civil war and saw action in many battles. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. It is usually regarded as the most important historical conflict in the united states. Some historians articulate towards watkins having insufficiency of precise facts and sometimes alteration or exaggeration on certain issues.
Here are some of the things you need to include in your book report. Sam watkins, a high private in the army of tennessee, brings a vividness and detail to his story. 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 writera. Writing a book report helps you practice giving your opinion about different aspects of a book, such as. A side show of the big show unabridged audiobook, by sam watkins. Watkins, a private soldier of the confederacy during the civil war, written twenty years after the war ended. Williams who is the founding chair of the lincoln forum and president of the ulysses s. It gives you a chance to read a new book and then tell your teacher and friends what you thought about it. The book is a biased perspective, as the author was a soldier for the southern states. Among civil war memoirs, it is considered a classic a living testament to one mans enduring humanity, courage, and wisdom in.
This lively memoir is part of an ilk within the genre that contends with the harsh barbarism of combat using wry humor. A classic memoir of the civil war watkins, samuel r. Or, a side show of the big show and other sketches by watkins, sam r. Mcallister, providence house how do you improve on a classic civil war. This edition of company aytch also contains six previously uncollected articles by sam watkins, plus other valuable supplementary materials, including a map and period illustrations, a glossary of technical and military terms, a chronology of events, a concise history of watkinss regiment, a biographical directory of individuals mentioned in the narrative, and geographic and topical indexes. Chickamauga and chattanooga national military park invites the public to attend a special. Their plan was to have two of the privates to go into the house and keep the inmates interested, while the other two privates were to take and run off with the hog. Soon after the war ended, watkins began writing his memoir, entitled company aytch. Shane, as watkins states several times, his book isnt a history, but a memoir written many years after the event. Praise for company aytch a memoir of staggering significance, wit, and beauty. Although there have been many recollections of the event, time has most likely interfered. A confederate memoir of the civil war and millions of other books are. Of the 120 men who enlisted in company h in 1861, sam watkins was one of only seven alive when general joseph e.
Most of what we learn of the civil war is from the perspective of generals. It is an illustrated and annotated version of the memoirs of confederate private sam watkins, entitled co. Or, a side show of the big show the civil war is one of the most monumental turning points in american history and it is still being studied and 150 years after its ending. Writing a book report book reports can take on many different forms. This is a marvelous expansion of the best memoir of a fighting. 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. One day, a party of privates, including sam, would go across the conasauga river on a raid. Or, a side show of the big show, often heralded as one of the best primary sources about the common soldiers civil war experience. Throughout his book he speaks out against northern doctrine and promotes the southern cause. Aytch, maury grays, first tennessee regiment, or, a side show of the big show, by sam r.
Text is from company aytch, or a side show of the big show, by samuel r. Notgrass history 975 roaring river road gainesboro, tn 38562 call. Though the author passed in july of 1901, his lives on as a notable piece of historical literature. This edition of company aytch also contains six previously uncollected articles by sam watkins, plus other valuable supplementary materials, including a map and period illustrations, a glossary of technical and military terms, a chronology of events, a concise history of watkinss regiment, a biographical directory of individuals mentioned in. 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. Aytch is heralded by many historians as one of the best war memoirs written by a common soldier of the field. Aytch was published in a first edition of 2,000 in book form in 1882. Samuel sam rush watkins june 26, 1839 july 20, 1901 was a noted confederate soldier during the american civil war. Larry, i liked your comment about it being required reading for all 16 year olds. You should try to write a strong introductory paragraph that grabs your readers attention. Today, he is best known for his enduring memoir, co. It is regarded as one of the most important historical conflicts in the united states history.
Sam watkins co aytch performed by thomas cartwright and michael holloway clip 1 duration. Aytch, maury grays, first tennessee regiment by samuel r. Somewhere in your first paragraph, you should also state the books title and the authors name. Watkins describes numerous executions through the course of the book and they are harrowing. However, similar to many other events, time has distorted the perspectives in regards to the war and made it somewhat difficult to discover what really. Aytch summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching co. Company aytch, or, a side show of the big show and other. Aytch 1882, which recounts his life as a soldier in the first tennessee. Arms of company aytch of the 1st tennessee small arms. As one of seven of the original recruits to survive all of their battles from shiloh to nashville, it is a unique story. At times watkins can be repetitive, especially with his overly frequent statements that he is not writing history.
They even felt safer in the regular line than in the rear with company q. The quality of the writing in company aytch varies somewhat. It was originally serialized in the columbia, tennessee herald newspaper. It is also the one most frequently cited by historians of the western campaigns. It should be noted that his regiment entered the war with 3,200 men, and ended with merely 65. It is a testament to one mans enduring humanity, courage, and wisdom in the midst of death and destruction.
Watkins 1839 1901 samuel sam rush watkins june 26, 1839 july 20, 1901 was a noted confederate soldier during the american civil war. Aytch has long been regarded as one of the finest memoirs written by a common soldier of the american civil war. Told from the point of view of an ordinary foot soldier, this personal memoir has been hailed as one of the liveliest, w. A memoir of staggering significance, wit, and beauty. Or, a side show of the big show, often heralded as one of the best primary sources about. Aytch, maury grays, first tennessee regiment of the.