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A Running Fight against Their Fellow Men: Civil War Veterans in Gilded Age Literature

A Running Fight against Their Fellow Men: Civil War Veterans in Gilded Age Literature james marten A Running Fight against Their Fellow Men Civil War Veterans in Gilded Age Literature The most famous fictional soldier of the Civil War is arguably Henry Fleming, whose brush with cowardice helped inspire an iconic portrayal of courage under fire. Far less well-known is Stephen Crane’s sketch of Henry’s life after the war, the short story “The Veteran.” Published in 1896, a year after The Red Badge of Courage, the tale projects Fleming into a vaguely contented late middle age. His younger neighbors listen to Henry’s war stories, including the incident in which Henry succumbs to and then mas- ters his panic in the face of mortal danger. The townsmen laugh a bit, but Henry’s little grandson, Jim—perhaps named after Henry’s old comrade Jim Conklin—is troubled that his hero could ever have run from danger. Later that night, a barn fire breaks out. The other men, untested by life or death crises, rush about ineffectually. Henry quietly takes charge and makes a half dozen trips into the inferno to save the valuable livestock trapped inside. His hip is smashed and hair is burned off, but the cattle and horses are rescued. “The Veteran” showed that once a http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The Journal of the Civil War Era University of North Carolina Press

A Running Fight against Their Fellow Men: Civil War Veterans in Gilded Age Literature

Marten, James Alan
The Journal of the Civil War Era , Volume 5 (4) – Nov 21, 2015
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Publisher
University of North Carolina Press
Copyright
Copyright @ The University of North Carolina Press
ISSN
2159-9807

Abstract

james marten A Running Fight against Their Fellow Men Civil War Veterans in Gilded Age Literature The most famous fictional soldier of the Civil War is arguably Henry Fleming, whose brush with cowardice helped inspire an iconic portrayal of courage under fire. Far less well-known is Stephen Crane’s sketch of Henry’s life after the war, the short story “The Veteran.” Published in 1896, a year after The Red Badge of Courage, the tale projects Fleming into a vaguely contented late middle age. His younger neighbors listen to Henry’s war stories, including the incident in which Henry succumbs to and then mas- ters his panic in the face of mortal danger. The townsmen laugh a bit, but Henry’s little grandson, Jim—perhaps named after Henry’s old comrade Jim Conklin—is troubled that his hero could ever have run from danger. Later that night, a barn fire breaks out. The other men, untested by life or death crises, rush about ineffectually. Henry quietly takes charge and makes a half dozen trips into the inferno to save the valuable livestock trapped inside. His hip is smashed and hair is burned off, but the cattle and horses are rescued. “The Veteran” showed that once a

Journal

The Journal of the Civil War Era – University of North Carolina Press

Published: Nov 21, 2015

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