that he gets enough food, and a good night’s sleep. After being pampered by Tom, Henry realizes that this is not the way to becoming a hero. In order to become a hero, he must fight in battles, and get a real red badge of courage, not just a knock in the head. He returns the envelope of letters to Tom. This scene marks a dramatic change in character for both of the boys. It shows their movement from innocence to experience. From then on, the two men walk side by side while marching. They showed their courage often in tough situations. Henry suspected that his generals were leading them right into trouble, and he gets very angry about that fact. Henry tells Tom about his speculations, but Tom will not believe him. During the next battle, Henry shows his courage by being the first and the fastest soldier to fire. After the victorious battle, Henry and Tom over hear a conversation between generals and captains, and they find out that the next battle they are going to be fighting is going to be very tough, and the general is looking for spar regiment.. The leader feels that there is no way Regiment 304 will survive the battle, and calls the soldiers ‘mule drivers’, thinking that they are slow, and rather stupid. When Henry and Tom hear this, they are enraged. They are determined to fight as hard as the can, with all their heart and souls. Henry and Tom prove themselves well in the battle. They steal the confederate flag, and are both brave enough to go out on the field with out weapons. After the regiment retreats, the general recognizes both soldiers as extremely brave, and comment that they are fit to be generals themselves. This final action is what finalizes the movement from innocence to experience for Henry and Tom. They went into the war as little boys, and now they are moving on as men. They have both earned their red badges of courage, as well as the hero status they had dreamed of obtaining forever. ...
