Reviews

"Reading Co. Aytch - ten years later is like the difference between seeing a baseball game through a knothole in the outfield fence and a seat behind home plate. It's the same event, but the expanded view makes it a whole 'nother experience." Joe Avalon, Editor of Civil War Interactive

"Sam's bird's-eye view, coupled with his almost 'Forrest Gumpian' ability to be in the right place at the right time, has drawn historians, scholars, and boy soldiers like myself to his tales for over a centruy. All of us have something to celebrate in this edition of Co. Aytch with Sam's own revisions." Robert Hicks, author of Widow of the South

"This new edition, featuring the Tennessean's handwritten revisions, particularly underscoring his disgust with Confederate conscription, incompetent generals, the military caste system, and more, will surely garner a receptive audience among all who recognize and respect honest realism." James Lee McDonough, Professor Emeritus of History, Auburn University and author of Nashville: The Western Confederacy's Final Gamble, and other Civil War books

Co. Aytch is frequently quoted within the Ken Burns' special on PBS entitled "The Civil War"

"Sam Watkins' chronicle, including for the first time his own handwritten revisions of the original edition, is most welcome and timely." Carroll Van West, Director, TN Civil War National Heritage Area & Director, MTSU Center for Historic Preservation

"For all the books for this to happen to, this is the one." Sam Craghead, Marketing Outreach Specialist, Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond, VA

"Incorporating revisions and notes that Watkins prepared for a second edition that never went to press, this new edition of Co. Aytch is fascinating." -Walter Durham, TN State Historian

http://petruzzi.wordpress.com - Click on Archives for November, 2007. David Petruzzi gives his own comments as well as a review by Joe Avalon.

Paul Taylor of swordandpen-prt.blogspot.com comments:
In my opinion, a major Civil War "reissue" has occurred and with surprisingly little fanfare. That being the reissue of Sam Watkin's cornerstone classic Co. "Aytch:" First Tennessee Regiment, or, A Sideshow of the Big Show in an expanded edition. If you saw Ken Burns' The Civil War TV mini-series, then you know of Watkins, for his memoir of serving as a Confederate foot soldier was quoted at length. According to the publisher, "The classic Co. Aytch has reigned as one of the most memorable and honest depictions of the American Civil War since its original publication in 1882. Sam R. Watkins's first-hand account of life as a Confederate soldier eloquently captured the realities of war, the humor and pathos of soldiering, and the tragic, historic events in which he participated. Although there have been dozens of versions of Co. Aytch published, this is the first with new material and revisions by Sam Watkins himself. Intending to republish after his first edition sold out, Watkins edited and revised Co. Aytch adding a new perspective that only came with time. He died before accomplishing his goal. Now more than one hundred years later, Watkins's great granddaughter, Ruth Hill Fulton McAllister is fulfilling Watkins s dream. Using his yellowed, aged, and pencil-marked copy handed down through different family members, McAllister has crafted a masterpiece that combines the ageless text with Sam Watkins's intended revisions.
This new edition incorporates actual images of Watkins's handwritten additions, all his desired editorial changes, and more than forty images. Desiring to be true to both her ancestor's wishes and the sanctity of his classic memoir, McAllister skillfully included Watkins's additions and artfully indicated what he would have omitted, leaving the original text intact. The result is a rich, expanded, director's cut version of Co. Aytch, sure to fascinate historians, Civil War enthusiasts, and new readers alike."
Serious book collectors will know that this newly revised and expanded edition also earns the bibliographic designation of "First Edition Thus." Unless you're one of the blessed few who own one of Sam's original firsts, this is now the edition to have on the shelf. I'm usually not one for predictions, but in this case, I'll venture that this first printing will only rise in value over the coming years. With bookshelf space at a premium, my hardcover reprint of the original book will soon be gone in order to make way for this collectible edition. Hat tip to J. D. Petruzzi for alerting me to this via his blog.