A youth, caught up in patriotic fervor and dreams of glory, enlists in the Union Army. In his first battle, though, he runs away. Deeply ashamed of his cowardice, and imagining the snickers and gibes of comrades behind his back, he rejoins his unit and in later fights puts himself in the vanguard, where his battle frenzy awes his companions. He is seeking a battle wound - his own red badge of courage.
