Just finished Watkins' memoir. I heard of Watkins because of Ken Burns series, where he is extensively quoted. The impression I had of him from the series; humorous, folksy, was definitely a false one.
Watkins' strikes me as grim, often cynical and angry, and his descriptions of combat are horrifying. A much stronger, darker book, than I expected.
Sam Watkins, of the first Tennessee Inf, I believe, was writing from behind his own ears and eyeballs. He was there. That puts him in a different league from us neophites. I can't imagine the sensation of having a comrade's head blown off a few inches from my own. Never hope to. The most remarkable thing about Sam is that he lived to tell the story. Well written in my opinion. Ought to be required reading for any 16 year old.
It is a superbly written book and it is a must read for any trying to understand the average soldier of the CS. I have read charges that many of his accounts were exaggerated or invented but have never seen any conclusive evidence to convince me of that.
__________________ Few take the trouble to understand or to view the American scene with perspective. And we Americans love to find ourselves guilty of something. However, it is never I who am guilty, but those other Americans, the past or present government or the other political party. Americans almost never find other countries guilty. It is always ourselves or our fancied influence in other countries. Louis L'amour
Shane, as Watkins states several times, his book isn't a history, but a memoir written many years after the event. I'm sure there's a few factual errors in it. But you put it in a nutshell: a must read.
Larry, I liked your comment about it being required reading for all 16 year olds. Excerpts will be included in my Civil War unit next year.
It is a superbly written book and it is a must read for any trying to understand the average soldier of the CS. I have read charges that many of his accounts were exaggerated or invented but have never seen any conclusive evidence to convince me of that.
Only charge I've seen was in people trying to use Watkin's to reflect the thoughts and moods of the entire army, which would actually be impossible.
As for Rhodes, agree it was well written, informative and a fun read also. A book that should be at least in the top 200 CW Must reads.
Chuck in IL.
Yep, it would be a mistake to consider Sam Watkins as a clone for the rest of his comrades. Many different levels of consideration on the war. For the walking around trying to keep his head down soldier, he was perhaps a worthy sample. As we do today, some of us read the paper more than others.
Watkins can only truly represent himself, but, as a private in the ranks, he can be trusted to reflect what his comrades might have thought or what the reactions were of the common man in the ranks.
For example, how those men felt about their treatment from General Bragg.
They had no love or respect for General Bragg. When men were to be shot or whipped, the whole army was marched to the horrid scene to see a poor trembling wretch tied to a post and a platoon of twelve men drawn up in line to put him to death, and the hushed command of "Ready, aim, fire!" would make the soldier, or conscript, I should say, loathe the very name of Southern Confederacy.
Or about the twenty-slave law.
A law was made by the Confederate States Congress about this time allowing every person who owned twenty negroes to go home. It gave us the blues; we wanted twenty negroes. Negro property suddenly became very valuable, and there was raised the howl of "rich man's war, poor man's fight." The glory of the war, the glory of the South, the glory and pride of our volunteers had no charms for the conscript.
Going without food for long periods of time.
After hard work we caught him. We skinned him, washed and salted him, buttered and peppered him, and fried him. He actually looked nice. The delicate aroma of the frying rat came to our hungry nostrils. We were keen to eat a piece of rat; our teeth were on edge; yea,, even our mouth watered to eat a piece of rat. Well, after a while, he [the rat] was said to be done. I got a piece of cold corn dodger, laid my piece of the rat on it, eat a little piece of bread, and raised the piece of rat to my mouth, when I happened to think of how that rat's tail did slip. I had lost my appetite for dead rat. I did not eat any rat. It was my first and last effort to eat dead rats.
All-in-all, if we accept the premise of those who were there have the higher authority when it comes to reporting events of history they were involved in, one might come to the conclusion that Sam Watkins could gauge the feelings and consensus of the Army of Tennessee.
No, not every single man at any given moment, but overall? More likely than not, I would venture.
Sincerely,
Unionblue
__________________ "The American people and the Government at Washington may refuse to recognize it for a time but the inexorable logic of events will force it upon them in the end; that the war now being waged in this land is a war for and against slavery." Frederick Douglass
"Loyalty to our ancestors does not include loyalty to their mistakes." George Santayana
Since Sam Watkins was part of the 1st Tennessee Regiment, made up of local boys around Nashville, he was part of the Army of Tennessee and experienced their comfortable lifestyle first hand. My postings concerning Calvin Livesay who left a diary as well from the 63rd Virginia also reflect the level of comfort these men endured. Sam and Calvin were there and heard the horrific crys, felt the ice and mud and the devastating wind plus the feeling of emptiness in their guts. They get points for that. Calvin also rated a courts-marshall at some point in the proceedings. I still haven't figured out why. Too late now to worry?
One of if not the best book written by the Private Soldier..
A section of gods & generals in taken on Watkins section on chickamauga.. Guy has a feeling hes going to be killed and gives all his things away except his rations and leaves a watch and 20 gold peice for his father if I recall..
his accounts on passing the wounded man whos missing a arm and he could his lungs and heart beating as he made his way to the aid station at murfreesboro
And his haunting account of Franklin..
I wonder howy many times he started to write the section on that battle only to wad the peice. of paper up and then start over.. as if he started having horrible flashbacks of the the horrors he saw on Dec. 1. Some folks say he was never at Franklin. If he was wast he had one one of the best discription of the battle I have seen.. With 1750 dead & 3800 wounded just on the confederate side thats not counting the wounded that were captured and sent off to nashville. Or the number of wounded that died days & months later from there wounds..
The Angel of death did gather his last great harvest there.
__________________ Steven Noel Cone Living Historian and Battlefield Preservationest
"Silver Spring Mess" ; "Citizens of the Bonnie Blue" ; "46th Tn Inf. Co. K"
CivilWarTalk.com -
A free and friendly Civil War community. 
Sam Watkins "Company Aytch" 
Linear Mode
