The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War

crouched among the trees and pointed their restless gun

unning men. Some shouted informat

while their tongues ran on in gossip of the battle. They m

has been driven

ieutenant is commanding 'G' Company. Th' boys say they won't be under

' batt'ry

es' batt'ry off on th' left no

el

of th' 304th when we go inteh action, an' then he ses we

. They say th' enemy driv' our line inteh a

s' batt'ry was 'long he

makes a good off'cer. He

el army fer four hours over on th' turnpike road an' killed about five tho

ed that he was willin' t' give his hand t' his country, but he be dumbed if he was goin' t' have every dumb bushwhacker in th' kentry walkin' 'round on it. Se he went t'

ag that tossed in the smoke angrily. Near it were the blurred and agitated forms of troops. There came a turbulent str

ds of the reserves. It landed in the grove, and exploding redly

aves came sailing down. It was as if a thousand axes, wee and invisible, were

rvous laugh went along the regimental line. The officer's profanity sounded conventional. It relieved

y away from his side so that the bl

oduced a handkerchief and began to bind with it the lieutenant'

seemed to be struggling to free itself from an agony.

was seen that the whole command was fleeing. The flag suddenly sa

. A sketch in gray and red dissolved into a mo

er. With the passionate song of the bullets and the banshee shrieks of shells we

ers's got crushed!" whispered the man at the youth's elbow. T

s were motionless, carven; and afterward he remembered that the color sergeant

long on the stream like exasperated chips. They were striking about them with their swords

us anger of a spoiled child. He raged

from bed to go to a fire. The hoofs of his horse often threatened the heads of the running men, but they scampered with singular fortune. In thi

of the critical veterans; but the retreating men apparen

t made the youth feel that forceful hands from heaven would not have been able

gle in the smoke had pictured an exaggeration of itself on

le to drag sticks and stones and men from the ground. They of the r

which had caused the other troops to flee had not then appeared. He resolved to get a