U.S. Citizens

Company Aytch: Or a Sideshow of the Big Show, takes us on a unimaginable journey through an ordinary soldier's experience. Sam Watkins wrote his memoir based off memory and what has endured being in the Confederate army for four years. Watkins gives us vivid descriptions of the journeys he has encountered, and telling us exactly how he felt during those experiences. He tells us unforgettable memories that he encountered, coming from an ordinary person's point of view.

Sam Watkins tells us what he went through as an ordinary soldier, most memoirs are written by a higher rank, never a foot soldier. He takes the reader on a roller coaster of emotions, throughout this book Watkins takes us on a rapid review of the biggest battles in the Western and Eastern campaigns. Watkins was a very active partaker in Big Show, in exquisite detail he explains how he escaped, how he was injured, how he was held captive and his near death of almost drowning on a steamboat. Those are only a few of the many adventures he endured. He made many transitions from past tense to present tense with his references while jumping back and for simultaneously. There were also heart wrenching moments where he speaks directly to non military and military personals. Watkins compares himself as a writer, he only writes from memory and claims he knows nothing of the battle. He also compares himself and other soldiers to The Generals.

I believe that Sam Watkins memoir is absolutely one of the best possible primary sources for a historian document. It is very rare to read honest, raw, and real memories coming from an ordinary soldier. The most popular memoirs from this time come from higher ranked military, unlike this one. Sam Watkins adds more to the everyday knowledge of us U.S. citizens.