HOSS
Well-known member
I downloaded a book on my Kindle this week. I could not put it down. It has to be the most powerfull story I have read in a long time. The book is not new (130 yrs old), it is free and it should be a must read for American History in school. The book is called Company Aytch and was written by Samuel R. Watkins in 1882 some 20 years after the Civil War. Sam was a private in the 1st Tennessee Regiment. He participated in every major battle the 1st Tennessee Regiment participated in from day one until Lee's surrender. He wrote his memoirs from a private's perspective describing the day to day life of a CSA soldier and detailed descriptions of his participation in battles at Shiloh, Franklin, Chicamauga, Missionary Ridge, Kennesaw, Atlanta, Murfreesboro and many others. Out of some 1,400 men in the 1st Tennessee Regiment, Samuel was one of only 65 left alive after 4 years of battle. One stretch of combat lasted 104 days with Samuel participating in the battle daily. Samuel was from the area of Tennessee not far from me so the story takes on alot of life due to the fact that I am very familiar with the towns, landscape, buildings and weather conditions described. He was wounded several times and discusses in detail the emotional highs and lows of the killing, destruction and thrills of the battle. Amazing story content here that is never told by our teachers and historians. They mostly stick with the battle reports from Generals and newspapers of the time. This gets down to the nitty gritty of the war and why the average guy answered the call to arms in the south. I think Alacowman would really appreciate this book. I encourage everybody, whether a southerner or yankee, to read it it. It will completely blow your mind on how tough, brave and principled both sides were from the top generals down to the lowest private.
