September 29, 2014
John Callanan
“Red Badge of Courage”
The story is about a young Union soldier named Henry whose courage is very questionable and during the battle he redeems himself and finds his courage. The story is fictional written by Stephen Crane who was a Union soldier during the Civil War but never saw combat. Though the book was not accepted in the United States when first written it got very high acclaims in England afterwards the U.S. public gave the book their approval and book sales rose. Everyone thought that Crane was an experienced writer which he was not.
One evening when Henry was on guard duty a confederate soldier on the other side of the river told him to get out of the moonlight or otherwise would receive a little red badge. Henry understood this to mean a gunshot wound and retreated into the shadows and thanked the Confederate soldier.
The young man upon hearing they may be going into battle describes his fears as he writes his father and explains that he hopes to make him proud in the upcoming battle. He then asks his father to let his mother know gently if he should fall in battle. The story some say was the Battle of Chancellorsville.
When the marching orders are given to the solders Henry is fearful he will not hold the line as described in the orders. Upon the first charge he does hold and then on the second charge he turns and runs. He then runs into a group of wounded soldiers walking away from the battle. When one of the wounded soldiers asks him where he is injured Henry cannot answer.
As he continues to walk he spots a friend from his regiment named Jim Conklin. Jim is wounded and Henry promises to take care of him. Jim runs off into a field and is followed by both Henry another soldier. Suddenly Jim falls and dies.
Henry runs again and sees General Grant sitting on his horse talking to his officers. The sight of the general causes him to keep running. He meets with another group of soldiers...