The Red Badge of Courage · Chapter
XIX explained
The regiment charges into battle, and Henry Fleming experiences a frenzied, almost out-of-body rush.
What happens
The regiment charges into battle, and Henry Fleming experiences a frenzied, almost out-of-body rush. After the initial momentum fades, the men falter under heavy fire. The lieutenant berates and rallies them, and Henry, along with his friend, seizes the regimental flag after the color sergeant is killed, leading a renewed assault.
Themes in this chapter
Courage and Cowardice
Henry runs forward in a frenzy, but later hesitates and questions the assault; the lieutenant's rage and the men's faltering highlight the thin line between bravery and fear.
The Mechanics of War
The passage details the regiment's movement, the effect of orders, the impact of bullets and shells, and the tactical difficulties of advancing through smoke and terrain.
Comradeship and Isolation
Henry feels a bond with the flag and acts alongside his friend, yet the chaos isolates each soldier; the dead color sergeant's grip on the flag symbolizes both connection and loss.
Characters to notice
- Henry Fleming
The youth runs ahead in a mad charge, later helps wrench the flag from the dead color sergeant, and feels a desperate love for the flag.
- Wilson
The friend of the youth; he fires an angry shot to awaken the men and joins Henry in grabbing the flag from the fallen color sergeant.
- the officer
An officer who looks like a boy on horseback gallops and waves his hat to start the charge.
- the lieutenant
The lieutenant with infantile features and a bandaged hand furiously curses and coaxes the men to advance, even grappling with Henry to force him forward.
- the color sergeant
The color sergeant is struck and killed while carrying the flag; his corpse clings to the pole before Henry and Wilson wrench it free.
Key passages
“The line fell slowly forward like a toppling wall, and, with a convulsive gasp that was intended for a cheer, the regiment began its journey.”
The soldiers advanced in a slow, wall-like motion, letting out a strained sound that was meant to be a cheer as they started their charge.
Describes the regiment's initial movement into battle.
“Within him, as he hurled himself forward, was born a love, a despairing fondness for this flag which was near him. It was a creation of beauty and invulnerability.”
As he ran, Henry developed a desperate affection for the flag, seeing it as a beautiful and indestructible symbol.
Henry's emotional attachment to the regimental flag during the assault.
“They wrenched the flag furiously from the dead man, and, as they turned again, the corpse swayed forward with bowed head. One arm swung high, and the curved hand fell with heavy protest on the friend’s unheeding shoulder.”
Henry and his friend violently pulled the flag from the dead color sergeant, whose body then slumped forward, one arm dropping onto the friend's shoulder as if in protest.
The grim struggle to take the flag from the fallen sergeant.