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Samuel R. Watkins
Samuel Rush Watkins 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 enduring memoir, "Co. Aytch" (1882), which recounts his life as a soldier in the 1st Tennessee Infantry Regiment.
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, and would fight from Shiloh to Nashville and was 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. When he died at 62, Watkins was buried with full military honors.
Books by Samuel R. Watkins
Company Aytch: Or, a Side Show of the Big Show
Samuel “Sam” Rush Watkins 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 Civ...