Co. Aytch

A gripping firsthand account of the Civil War, told through the eyes of a common Confederate soldier.

In Co. Aytch, Sam R. Watkins recounts his service with Company H of the First Tennessee Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. One of only seven men from his original company to survive until the war’s end in 1865, Watkins delivers a vivid and deeply personal narrative that has earned acclaim as one of the finest Civil War memoirs ever written by an enlisted soldier.

Written with remarkable wit, honesty, and humanity, Watkins’ memoir captures the day-to-day reality of the battlefield: the camaraderie and loss, the hunger and hardship, the bravery and bitterness. His storytelling brings to life pivotal events—from Shiloh to Chickamauga to the final days of the Army of Tennessee’s surrender under General Joseph E. Johnston.

More than just a chronicle of war, Co. Aytch is a powerful reflection on the cost of conflict and the resilience of the human spirit. Watkins’ informal style and keen observations offer readers both a soldier’s perspective and a piece of enduring Southern literature.

Essential reading for Civil War enthusiasts, history students, and anyone interested in the lives of ordinary men caught in extraordinary times.

Samuel "Sam" Rush Watkins (June 26, 1839 - July 20, 1901) was a noted Confederate soldier during the American Civil War. He is known today for his memoir Company Aytch: Or, a Side Show of the Big Show, often heralded as one of the best primary sources about the common soldier's Civil War experience. Watkins was born on June 26, 1839 near Columbia, Maury County, Tennessee, and received his formal education at Jackson College in Columbia. He originally enlisted in the "Bigby Greys" of the 3rd Tennessee Infantry in Mount Pleasant, Tennessee, but transferred shortly thereafter to the First Tennessee Infantry, Company H (the "Maury Greys") in the spring of 1861. Watkins faithfully served throughout the duration of the War, participating in the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, Perryville, Murfreesboro (Stones River), Shelbyville, Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Resaca, Adairsville, Kennesaw Mountain (Cheatham Hill), New Hope Church, Zion Church, Kingston, Cassville, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Franklin, and Nashville. Of the 120 men who enlisted in "Company H" in 1861, Sam Watkins was one of only seven alive when General Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee surrendered to General William Tecumseh Sherman in North Carolina April, 1865. Of the 1,200 men who fought in the First Tennessee, only 65 were left to be paroled on that day. Soon after the war ended, Watkins began writing his memoir, entitled "Company Aytch: Or, a Side Show of the Big Show". It was originally serialized in the Columbia, Tennessee Herald newspaper. "Co. Aytch" was published in a first edition of 2,000 in book form in 1882. "Co. Aytch" is heralded by many historians as one of the best war memoirs written by a common soldier of the field. Sam's writing style is quite engaging and skillfully captures the pride, misery, glory, and horror experienced by the common foot soldier. Watkins is often featured and quoted in Ken Burns' 1990 documentary titled The Civil War. Watkins died on July 20, 1901 at the age of sixty-two in his home in the Ashwood Community. He was buried with full military honors by the members of the Leonidas Polk Bivouac, United Confederate Veterans, in the cemetery of the Zion Presbyterian Church near Mount Pleasant, Tennessee.