Try of higher and secondary specialized education of the republic of uzbekistan jizzakh state pedagogical institute

Sam. R. Watkins

Sam. R. Watkins (1839–1901) was a 19th-century American writer and humorist best known for his memoir, "Co. Aytch," which recounts his life as a soldier in the Confederate States Army. He "talked in a slow humorous drawl" and demonstrated unusual prowess as a storyteller. One of the book's commendable qualities is its realism. In an age noted for romanticizing "the war" and the men who fought it, he wrote with surprising frankness. The Johnny Rebs of his pages are not all heroes. Soldier life as portrayed by Watkins had more of the dullness and suffering than of excitement and glory. He tells much of the crushing fatigue of long marches; the boredom and discomfort of the long winter lulls; the caprice and harshness of discipline; the incompetency of the officers; the periodic lapses of morale; the uncertainty and meagerness of rations; and the wearying grind of army routine. His accounts of battle make frequent reference to the dreadful screaming of shells, the awful horror of mutilated bodies and the agonizing cries of the wounded. War as detailed by his pen was a cruel and sordid business.

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