The Little Regiment

This collection brings together six of Stephen Crane’s American Civil War stories: “The Little Regiment,” “Three Miraculous Soldiers,” “A Mystery of Heroism,” “An Indiana Campaign,” “A Grey Sleeve” and “The Veteran.” The title story follows two brothers serving in the same Union regiment, whose constant arguments persist even as bombardment, separation and rumours of death reveal the depth of their attachment.

Across the remaining stories, soldiers cross exposed ground for water, civilians encounter troops moving through their communities, and veterans confront the gap between remembered courage and present action. Crane avoids a panoramic history of generals and campaigns, concentrating instead on fear, chance, bravado, confusion and the small decisions through which ordinary people experience civil war.