The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane 

Reviewed by:  Deb Alig, Circulation Assistant 

Genre:  Historical Fiction 

Suggested Age:  Recommended for Grades 9 – 12 

What is this book about?  This book takes place during the era of the American Civil War.  The main character, Henry Fleming, or the “youth” as he is often called, is a teenage boy who leaves home and enlists in the Union Army because he wants to experience what he imagines to be the glory of war.  The story begins with the fictional 304th New York Infantry Regiment waiting to engage in battle.  When battle finally begins, the Confederates are repelled.  Henry survives the scuffle only for his regiment to be attacked again.  This time his fear gets the best of him and he flees, shamefully deserting his regiment. Henry runs off into a nearby forest and encounters a group of wounded soldiers.  He bumps into a tattered soldier who has been shot twice and who proudly declares that his regiment did not flee from the fighting.  The tattered soldier asks Henry where he has been hurt, and knowing that he is not hurt, Henry scurries away feeling embarrassed and ashamed by the soldier’s question.  After encountering the wounded soldiers, Henry wishes that he too could earn a Red Badge of Courage, or a wound obtained bravely in battle.  Moving on from the wounded soldiers, Henry finds his regiment.  In the final battle, he experiences a rush of new found courage and proudly carries the Union flag after the color sergeant falls.  As described by Crane, the “sickness of battle” transformed the “youth” from a boy into a man. 

My Review:  Stephen Crane was born after the Civil War, yet The Red Badge of Courage reads as if it was written by someone who was there.  Crane obtained his facts about the war by spending time with Civil War Veterans and by reading articles published about the war in Century Magazine.  Many Civil War scholars are impressed with Crane’s work, especially with his detailed descriptions of the battlefields, the military maneuvers, and the artillery and infantry engagements.  Some historians even believe that the battle described in the book is based on the real Battle of Chancellorsville. 

I chose to read The Red Badge of Courage because I recently took a vacation to visit Civil War museums and battlefields.  I visited the Chancellorsville Visitor Center and that is where I saw a first edition copy of The Red Badge of Courage published in 1895.  Placards highlighted the plot and setting of the book and encouraged visitors to read it, especially for a genuine Civil War experience.  After taking tours and exploring museums and battlefields, The Red Badge of Courage brought to life all that I had seen and heard.  I highly recommend reading it. 

Three Words that Describe this Book:  historical, traumatic, riveting 

Give This a Try if You Like:   Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen; Jack Hinson’s One-Man War by Tom C. McKenney; Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt 

Rating:  5/5 

Find it at the library!