The Red Badge of Courage

The Red Badge of Courage tells the story of Henry Fleming ,a young ,inexperienced soldier in American Civil War who has romantic notions of the hero he will be when he enters his first battle . Amidst the brutal realities of warfare , however , his illusions are shattered when he learns the true value of courage. When first published in 1895, Stephen Crane's penetrating study of war was hailed as a masterpiece by readers unaccustomed to such realism and it remains his most popular work.