Samuel R. Watkins
Samuel Rush Watkins (June 26, 1839 – July 20, 1901) was an American writer and humorist. He fought through the entire American Civil War and saw action in many battles. Today, he is best known for his memoir "Co. Aytch" (1882), which recounts his life as a soldier in the 1st Tennessee Infantry Regiment.[1]
Samuel R. Watkins | |
|---|---|
 Watkins in uniform, c. 1861 | |
| Born | Samuel Rush Watkins June 26, 1839 Mount Pleasant, Tennessee |
| Died | July 20, 1901 (aged 62) Maury County, Tennessee |
| Resting place | Zion Cemetery, Maury County, Tennessee, U.S. 35°35′55.2″N 87°08′42.0″W |
| Pen name | Sam. R. Watkins |
| Occupation | |
| Alma mater | Jackson College |
| Period | 1881–1900 |
| Years active | 1881–1882 |
| Notable work | Co. Aytch |
| Spouse |
Virginia Mayes Watkins
(m. 1865) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Confederate States |
| Service/ |  Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Unit | Company H, 1st Tennessee Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Soldier
In May 1861, 21-year-old Sam Watkins of Maury County, Tennessee, rushed to join the army when his state left the Union. He became part of Company H (or Co. "Aytch," as he called it), 1st Tennessee Infantry Regiment, fought from Shiloh to Nashville, and acted as one of only seven men who remained in the company when it was surrendered to U.S. Major-General W. T. Sherman in North Carolina, April 1865.[2] When he died at 62, Watkins was buried with full military honors.[1]
"Co. Aytch"
In 1881, with a "house full of young 'rebels' clustering about my elbows," Watkins began to chronicle his experiences in the First Tennessee Regiment. "Co. Aytch" is considered to be one of the great memoirs written by a soldier of the field.[2] Originally published as a serial newspaper column from 1881 to 1882 in The Columbia Herald, his stories were collected and printed in book form in 1882.[1][3][4] The charming prose captures the experience of the common private soldier, from the hardships of camp life to the horrors of battle, the camaraderie of a unit to the loss of a brother, the pride in one's state to the devastation of defeat.[1]
Memorials
Camp No. 29 (established 1986) of the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Columbia, Tennessee, is named after him.
In popular culture
Watkins is featured and quoted in Ken Burns' 1990 documentary titled The Civil War and in the film titled Civil War: The Untold Story[5] (See specific quotes from Watkins in Wikiquotes .)
The song "Kennesaw Line" by Don Oja-Dunaway tells a heart-breaking vignette of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain on the morning of June 27, 1864, from the perspective of Sam Watkins, with part of the lyrics directly paraphrasing his description from the book "Company Aytch" (see the section entitled "Dead Angle").[6]
References
Notes
- Watkins, Sam (2015) [1st pub. Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing House:1882]. Furman, Katherine (ed.). Co. "Aytch": The First Tennessee Regiment or a Side Show to the Big Show (Complete Illustrated ed.). Minneapolis, Minn.: Zenith Press. Back cover. ISBN 978-0-7603-4775-1. OCLC 928999663.
- Watkins, Sam (2015) [1st pub. Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing House:1882]. Furman, Katherine (ed.). Co. "Aytch": The First Tennessee Regiment or a Side Show to the Big Show (Complete Illustrated ed.). Minneapolis, Minn.: Zenith Press. Front cover. ISBN 978-0-7603-4775-1. OCLC 928999663.
- Leigh, Phil (March 15, 2013). "Private Watkins's War". The New York Times. Disunion. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- Watkins, Samuel. "Co. Aytch": Maury Grays, First Tennessee Regiment; or, A Side Show of the Big Show. p. 136.
- Civil War: The Untold Story http://civilwartheuntoldstory.org .
- For example, in the book he wrote "Well, on the fatal morning of June 27th, the sun rose clear and cloudless, the heavens seemed made of brass, and the earth of hot iron, and as the sun began to mount toward the zenith, everything became quiet, and no sound was heard save a peckerwood on a neighboring tree." Watkins, Sam. R. (1882). "Co. Aytch", or, A Side Show of the Big Show and Other Sketches. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
The corresponding lyrics:
Well the sun rose high above us that morning
"Kennesaw Line". Retrieved October 8, 2014. The best-known version of this song is sung by Claire Lynch on the album Lines & Traces by the Front Porch String Band."Hills of Alabam – Front Porch String Band". Bluegrass Today. December 20, 2012.
On a clear and cloudless day
A peckerwood, he tapped on a tree
That would soon be shot away
The heat blistered down through the leaves on the trees
The air seemed hot enough to catch fire
Heaven seemed to be made of brass
The sun rose higher and higher
Sources
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Archives and Records Administration.
Further reading
- "Biographies: Sam Watkins". The Civil War. PBS. 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- "Recollections of the Battle of Perryville". Civil War Trust. 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- Watkins, Samuel R. (1900). "Co. Aytch". Google Books. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
External links
- Samuel R. Watkins at Find a Grave
- Samuel R. Watkins Camp No. 29 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans
- Works by or about Samuel R. Watkins at Internet Archive
- Works by Samuel R. Watkins at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
