Calico Illustrated Classics: The Red Badge of Courage
chapter 1 A Boy Enlists It was a spring morning in 1863 The young soldiers of the 304th Regiment were waking up in North Virginia in the midst of the Civil War From where they sat they could see the smoldering remains of Confederate campfires Henry Fleming a young farm boy from New York sat around the campfire drinking coffee His friend since childhood Jim Conklin ran toward him waving a shirt above his head Jim was out of breath We’re going to move tomorrow for sure We’re going way up the river cutting across and coming up behind the enemy It’s a lie A thunderin lie shouted a corporal His smooth face was flushed He 4
thrust his hands into his pant pockets I don’t believe this army is ever going to move I’ve been ready to move eight times in the last two weeks and we ain’t moved yet Not an inch The soldiers had been waiting for months to see battle While they hadn’t seen so much as a fight they heard tales of great battles between the Union and Confederate armies Jim felt he had to defend the truth of the rumor A cavalry fella down by the creek told me we’re moving out I believe him As Jim spoke excitement grew in the camp While the men debated whether Jim was speaking the truth or just trying to feel important Henry Fleming wanted to be alone He went to his hut and crawled through a hole that was his door He needed to be alone to think through his thoughts Henry lay down on the wide bunk that stretched across the room On the other end cracker boxes were used as furniture A picture 5
hung upon the log walls along with three rifles Tin dishes lay scattered among the firewood Henry felt as if he were in a trance So at last we’re going to fight He knew that perhaps tomorrow there would be a battle and he’d be in it He couldn’t accept that he was about to mingle in a battle and dance with death He had of course dreamed of battles all his life In these dreams he saw himself in bloody struggles that had thrilled him He imagined the taste of victory But awake he had thought of those battles as things that happened long ago and ones he would never face in reality After reading about the marches sieges and conflicts of this war he had longed to see it all A desire burned deep within his soul to enlist All battles were glorified but he didn’t know to what extent He wanted to find out His mother had discouraged him She had given him hundreds of reasons why he was more important on the farm than on the field of battle But the power of the glory he had read 6
