<b>The Red Badge of Courage An Episode of the American Civil War by Stephen Crane</b>&nbsp;is a&nbsp;war novel&nbsp;by American author&nbsp;Stephen Crane&nbsp;(1871&ndash;1900). Taking place during the&nbsp;American Civil War, the story is about a young&nbsp;private&nbsp;of the&nbsp;Union Army, Henry Fleming, who flees from the field of battle. Overcome with shame, he longs for a wound, a &quot;red badge of courage,&quot; to counteract his cowardice. When his regiment once again faces the enemy, Henry acts as&nbsp;standard-bearer, who carries a flag.<br /><br />Although Crane was born after the war, and had not at the time experienced battle first-hand, the novel is known for its&nbsp;realism&nbsp;and naturalism.<br /><br />He began writing what would become his second novel in 1894, using various contemporary and written accounts (such as those published previously by&nbsp;<i>Century Magazine</i>) as inspiration. It is believed that he based the fictional battle on that of&nbsp;Chancellorsville; he may also have interviewed veterans of the&nbsp;124th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, commonly known as the Orange Blossoms. Initially shortened and serialized in newspapers in December 1894, the novel was published in full in October 1895. A longer version of the work, based on Crane&#39;s original manuscript, was published in 1982.<br /><br />The novel is known for its distinctive style, which includes realistic battle sequences as well as the repeated use of color imagery, and ironic tone. Separating itself from a traditional war narrative, Crane&#39;s story reflects the inner experience of its protagonist (a soldier fleeing from combat) rather than the external world around him.<br /><br />Also notable for its use of what Crane called a &quot;psychological portrayal of fear&quot;, the novel&#39;s&nbsp;allegorical&nbsp;and symbolic qualities are often debated by critics. Several of the themes that the story explores are maturation, heroism, cowardice, and the indifference of nature.&nbsp;