On Whose Responsibility?:

The Historical and Literary Underpinnings of

The Red Badge of Courage

 

By Roy Morris Jr.

 

            Few American novels are as famous--or mysterious--as Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage. From the day it was first published in October 1895, the novel has been justly praised for its vivid battle scenes, penetrating psychological insights, and sepia-tinged historical accuracy. So powerful are the novel's effects that one Civil War veteran, a Union colonel, claimed to have served with the author at the Battle of Antietam in 1862--nine years before Stephen Crane was born.¹