The Red Badge of Courage (Historical Context)

Historical Context

Memoirs of the Civil War

The war literature of the Civil War era glorified heroism and the courage of soldiers on both sides of the war. The numerous memoirs of war veterans influenced Crane, who had a lifelong obsession with war. He drew upon the common pattern of these chronicles for the major plot elements in The Red Badge of Courage: the sentimental expectation of the young recruit moved to enlist by patriotic rhetoric and heroic fantasies of war; the resistance of his parents to his enlistment; his anxiety over the apparent confusion and purposelessness of troop movements; his doubts about his personal courage; the dissipation of his heroic illusions in the first battle; his grumbling about the incompetency of generals; and other such motifs, incidents, and situations.

The editors of Century Magazine published Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, one of Crane's primary sources in writing The Red Badge of Courage. The editors hoped to foster mutual respect for both armies, focusing on the bonds forged by soldiers in the field rather than the horrors they endured. Crane's novel challenged these popular tales, which often featured heroes on the battlefield rewarded by the love of an awed heroine at home. In the book, Henry Fleming has similar romantic notions of warfare but they are dispelled when he encounters the grim reality of the battlefield. Crane felt that fiction should present a slice out of life. Many readers had a difficult time believing he had not yet experienced war firsthand, because he was so successful at depicting the war.

The battle he describes in The Red Badge of Courage is based on the Battle of Chancellorsville. Besides referring to the Rappahannock River and the city of Richmond, the author discusses the fact that Fleming's regiment passes Washington, D.C., before quartering on the Rappahannock. The setting, geographical terrain, and the references to the weather parallel historical facts. Essentially, the battle was fought in the wilderness a few miles west of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Although this provides the scenario for the book, precise identification of the battle location is clearly not a primary consideration for Crane.

The Progress of Civilization and Urban Poor

As the nineteenth century drew to a close, it was assumed that humankind was steadily progressing. Advancements in technology, rapid industrialization, and improved education made some people feel that humans — and in particular Americans — had evolved beyond the destruction and ignorance that had taken place in the past. Yet wars continued to be fought and, with the improvement of weapons technology, became bloodier and more deadly. Crane points out in his novel that though education and religion were supposed to have "civilized" men and "checked" their passions, war continued to rage, and violence had only increased. His words proved visionary when the United States engaged in an international conflict, the Spanish-American War, in 1898 (Crane covered the conflict as a war correspondent). Crane studied New York City street life, since he spent much of his early adult life living among its poor and "fringe element." He frequently kept company with prostitutes and street people, even disguising himself as a transient in order to learn how they lived and were treated by society. He was one of the first "literary bohemians," so-called because he cavorted with disreputable characters and chose unusual subjects for his fiction (many did not consider the lower classes to be a fitting topic for literary endeavors). Crane was able to use his city experiences in the novel by drawing on the grim parallels between poverty-stricken urban streets and bloody war zones. In the novel, he refers to the approaching army as a train and the soldiers as the spokes of the wheels.

The Spanish-American War

Crane was enraptured by war stories and often entered battle as a war correspondent. On February 15, 1898, the Maine, an American ship in Cuba, was blown up in Havana harbor, and by April, the United States was at war with Spain. Crane was working on a writing project at this time but decided to volunteer for service. He had already experienced the fear of war when he boarded a boat loaded with ammunition and arms for Cuba and escaped Spanish gunboats. Crane's ship, the Commodore, eventually sank off the Florida coast, but he was able to escape into a ten-foot dinghy. He fictionalized this event in his short story "The Open Boat."

There were several causes of the war. American investments in Cuba were being threatened by continual Cuban revolts against Spanish rule. The Ostend Manifesto, a declaration issued by the United States, stated that if Spain refused to cede Cuba to the United States, it would be justified in taking the island by force. Also, the United States had been channeling money and munitions to aid Cuba, an act that created ill-feeling between the Spanish and American governments. The growth of anti-Spanish sentiment was fueled by "yellow journalism" tactics used during a newspaper war between Joseph Pulitzer of the New York World and William Randolph Hearst of the New York Journal, which saw the publication of many stories and pictures of the ill-fated Cuban insurrection of 1895. These stories were designed to secure newspaper readers, but they were often exaggerated accounts.

The most tangible causes of the war were the destruction of the Maine, at a cost of 260 officers and crew, and the New York Journal's famous masthead declaring, "Remember the Maine!", which roused the nation to action. Finally, President McKinley had to ask for a declaration of war against Spain. The war was easily won by the United States, and the Treaty of Paris in 1898 gave Cuba its independence. The United States became its protector, and the country also took possession of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippine Islands. Further, the United States became a naval power and a leader in world affairs.

Compare & Contrast

• 1860s: The Southern cotton states, in a prosecession move to protect their slave-based economy, formed The Confederate States of America. When the Civil War ended, the Industrial Revolution began in the U.S., and "King Cotton" was replaced by the growth of manufacturing in the South.

  1890s: With increased industrialization, labor strikes, such as the 1892 Homestead Steel strike and the 1894 Pullman railroad strike, erupted; a financial depression takes place between 1892 and 1894.

  Today: Labor strikes continue in transportation, civil service, and other sectors; financial insecurities exist among employees in downsizing corporations. The federal government must reduce a multibillion-dollar deficit, yet the stock market continues its strong performance.

• 1860s: The American Civil War pits brother against brother, Southerner against Northerner. About 90,000 Confederate and 93,000 Union soldiers died, more men, in proportion to population, than the British and French lost in World War I.

  1890s: The sinking of the Maine ignites the Spanish-American War of 1898, which is won by the United States.

  Today: The U.S. is experiencing a period of peace and relative prosperity. The Cold War with the Soviet Union has ended, and the U.S. is not at war with any country.

• 1860s: Cannons, rifles and revolvers, and swords and bayonets are an army's primary weapons during the Civil War.

  1890s: Naval power becomes increasingly important in warfare. Battleships and armored cruisers help the United States win the Spanish-American War.

  Today: Computers, satellites, stealth technology, and laser-guided weapons have changed the face of war. Several countries have nuclear capabilities.