Which American author wrote 'The Red Badge of Courage'?

Stephen Crane wrote “The Red Badge of Courage.”

Published as a novel in 1895, the book follows Henry Fleming, a young Union soldier confronting fear during the American Civil War. Henry dreams of heroic battle but flees from combat, then longs for a wound—a “red badge of courage”—that might make him appear brave. Crane uses his inner turmoil to explore cowardice, shame, courage, maturity, and the psychological effects of war.

Crane was born in 1871, years after the Civil War, and had no personal combat experience when he wrote the novel. He drew on Civil War accounts, military reports, magazine articles, and stories associated with veterans. The fictional battles are often linked by critics to the 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville, although the novel avoids naming a specific battle.

The work was first serialized in newspapers in December 1894 before appearing in book form in October 1895. Its vivid imagery and focus on a soldier’s private fear helped make Crane an influential American writer. Unlike many war novels, it emphasizes emotional experience over military history.