He tells his story of joining the first tennessee regiment, company h, to fight for the confederacy. This account is from the common soldier, who knew little of the larger picture, yet did the majority of the brute fighting. Aytch, or a side show of the big show by sam watkins and edited by philip leigh. 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. Somewhere in your first paragraph, you should also state the books title and the authors name. They even felt safer in the regular line than in the rear with company q. Samuel sam rush watkins june 26, 1839 july 20, 1901 was a noted confederate soldier during the american civil war. 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.
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. 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. Samuel sam rush watkins 18391901 was a confederate soldier during the american civil war. 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. Sam watkins co aytch performed by thomas cartwright and michael holloway clip 1 duration. It was originally serialized in the columbia, tennessee herald newspaper.
A classic memoir of the civil war watkins, samuel r. This book is considered to be the best account of the civil war ever written from the confederate point of view. Soon after the war ended, watkins began writing his memoir, entitled company aytch. 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. Text is from company aytch, or a side show of the big show, by samuel r. Though the author passed in july of 1901, his lives on as a notable piece of historical literature. Or, a side show of the big show and other sketches by watkins, sam r.
Aytch is the work of a natural storyteller who balances the horror of war with an. The book is a biased perspective, as the author was a soldier for the southern states. It gives you a chance to read a new book and then tell your teacher and friends what you thought about it. A primary source analysis the civil war ended well over 150 years ago but yet it is still widely debated and discussed. Most of what we learn of the civil war is from the perspective of generals. It is usually regarded as the most important historical conflict in the united states. Sam watkins company aytch nonfiction history of the. Of the 120 men who enlisted in company h in 1861, sam watkins was one of only seven alive when general joseph e. Well as stated previously, it was battle, battle, battle, every day, for one hundred days.
He fought through the entire civil war and saw action in many battles. Watkins, a private soldier of the confederacy during the civil war, written twenty years after the war ended. Shane, as watkins states several times, his book isnt a history, but a memoir written many years after the event. Aytch was published in a first edition of 2,000 in book form in 1882. 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. 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. Maury grays, first tennessee regiment or, a side show of the big show see other formats. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Today, he is best known for his enduring memoir, co. It is an illustrated and annotated version of the memoirs of confederate private sam watkins, entitled co. Sam watkins, a high private in the army of tennessee, brings a vividness and detail to his story. 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.
Mcallister, providence house how do you improve on a classic civil war. Three types of effective book reports are plot summaries, character analyses, and theme analyses. Writing a book report book reports can take on many different forms. One day, a party of privates, including sam, would go across the conasauga river on a raid. This is a marvelous expansion of the best memoir of a fighting. Chickamauga and chattanooga national military park invites the public to attend a special. 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. Writing a book report helps you practice giving your opinion about different aspects of a book, such as.
You should try to write a strong introductory paragraph that grabs your readers attention. Watkins read 5 jun 2011 this book was written in 1881 and first published in book form in 1882. 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. 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. A side show of the big show unabridged audiobook, by sam watkins. Aytch is heralded by many historians as one of the best war memoirs written by a common soldier of the field. Among civil war memoirs, it is considered a classic a living testament to one mans enduring humanity, courage, and wisdom in. Throughout his book he speaks out against northern doctrine and promotes the southern cause. Or, a side show of the big show, often heralded as one of the best primary sources about. Notgrass history 975 roaring river road gainesboro, tn 38562 call. He had the eye and the brain to record and report on the civil war better than. Praise for company aytch a memoir of staggering significance, wit, and beauty. It is also the one most frequently cited by historians of the western campaigns. Although there have been many recollections of the event, time has most likely interfered.
Watkins describes numerous executions through the course of the book and they are harrowing. Or, a side show of the big show, often heralded as one of the best primary sources about the common soldiers civil war experience. It should be noted that his regiment entered the war with 3,200 men, and ended with merely 65. The boom of cannon, and the rattle of musketry was our reveille and retreat, and sherman knew that it was no childs play. Aytch, maury grays, first tennessee regiment, or, a side show of the big show, by sam r.
Arms of company aytch of the 1st tennessee small arms. Here are some of the things you need to include in your book report. Aytch has long been regarded as one of the finest memoirs written by a common soldier of the american civil war. Williams who is the founding chair of the lincoln forum and president of the ulysses s. 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. Larry, i liked your comment about it being required reading for all 16 year olds. My first book was released by westholme publishing back in may 20. At times watkins can be repetitive, especially with his overly frequent statements that he is not writing history. The quality of the writing in company aytch varies somewhat. Aytch, maury grays, first tennessee regiment by samuel r. It is regarded as one of the most important historical conflicts in the united states history. Watkins 1839 1901 samuel sam rush watkins june 26, 1839 july 20, 1901 was a noted confederate soldier during the american civil war.
A confederate memoir of the civil war and millions of other books are. This lively memoir is part of an ilk within the genre that contends with the harsh barbarism of combat using wry humor. Aytch, maury grays, first tennessee regiment of the. It is a testament to one mans enduring humanity, courage, and wisdom in the midst of death and destruction. As one of seven of the original recruits to survive all of their battles from shiloh to nashville, it is a unique story. A memoir of staggering significance, wit, and beauty. Some historians articulate towards watkins having insufficiency of precise facts and sometimes alteration or exaggeration on certain issues. 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.