On a cold day, the 304th New York Infantry Regiment awaits battle beside a river. Eighteen-year-old Private Henry Fleming, remembering his reasons for enlisting as well as his mother's resulting protests, wonders whether he will remain brave in the face of fear or turn and run.

The story follows Fleming on the fateful days to come, through flight and redemption, injury and the horrors of war.

The Red Badge of Courage received generally positive reviews from critics on its initial publication; in particular, it was said to be a remarkably modern and original work., the original 1895 publication went through ten editions in the first year alone, making Crane an overnight success at the age of twenty-four.

This bestselling book in both the US and the States, praised for it's sense of realism is reproduced here, narrated by Michael Ward.