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This realistic Civil War novel probes the mind of a youth named Henry in his first few days of battle. A Union infantryman, Henry rides a roller coaster of doubt, exhilaration, terror, and other emotions.
Fleeing in panic from a skirmish that his regiment was winning, Henry wanders among the dead and dying with their "red badges of courage." When Henry questions another retreating Yankee, the man smashes Henry with his rifle.
Bloodied but back among his regiment, Henry shamefully pretends that a bullet has grazed his head. But in subsequent encounters, he finds his courage, eventually bearing the flag in battle.
Guided Reading Level: M
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