During the American Civil War, Henry Fleming, a young farmer, joins the Union army dreaming of glory. For weeks he waits for his first battle and wonders whether he will stand firm or run away. When the battle finally comes, the smoke, the noise and the fear sweep away all his ideas about heroism.
Stephen Crane, born after the war, had never seen it, and yet many readers took him for an old soldier. This short novel tells the battle from the inside, as close as possible to what a frightened man feels.
Its clear sentences and vivid scenes make it enjoyable to read in the language you are learning.
