Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage is the tale of a young Union soldier during the Civil War, who must reconcile his desire for survival with the honor of serving his country. .

             As Henry Fleming sits on the riverbank with the other men, fear begins to overpower him. Henry is a new recruit in the Union's 304th Regiment army, and although he joined for the glory of fighting, he now doubts his ability to actually participate in battle. Rumors have been spreading throughout the camp that the men will soon march, and this anticipation has merely added to the dread. Henry recalls telling his mother, "Ma, I'm going to enlist," and she had replied, "Henry, don't you be a fool" (Crane Ch.1). Soon the men are marching, and after several days they finally near the battlefield and can hear the sounds of battle. .

             Henry has been considering desertion during these past days, however when the enemy finally attacks, he finds himself surrounded by his regiment and could not flee even if he had chosen to do so. Thus, with no alternative, he fires his weapon, almost like a mechanical machine. It is a Union victory, yet after congratulating each other, and taking a brief rest, Henry is awakened to the sounds of battle. The Confederates are charging again. This time he runs, telling himself that this was the logical choice to make because there was no way his regiment could withstand another attack and win. He also tried to convince himself that the other men, like Jim Conklin, were fools to stay and fight, risking their lives for certain defeat.

             Soon he passes a general on horseback and hears him say that the Union regiment had managed to hold back the Confederates attack. Although he feels ashamed for being such a coward, he still keeps telling himself that he did the right thing in running away, that his own life was worth more than dying in some meaningless battle. Not long afterwards, he stumbles upon a dead soldier, decaying in the elements.