The Red Badge of Courage (Stephen Crane)

The Red Badge Of Courage follows Henry Fleming, a young Union soldier in the American Civil War, as he confronts fear, shame, and the reality of battle. Initially obsessed with his own courage, he flees in panic, then struggles with guilt and the desire for redemption. Crane's impressionistic style and focus on psychological experience rather than grand strategy create a powerful, modern portrait of war and the making of a soldier.