THE VETERAN by STEPHEN CRANE

From 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales by Jon Hagadorn

April 17, 2026 · 19 min

About this episode

This episode features Stephen Crane's short story 'The Veteran', exploring themes of war and redemption through the character of Henry Fleming.

Stephen Crane wrote this short story one year after his hugely popular "The Red Badge of Courage", which was a story about a young man named Henry Fleming, who experienced the horrors of war for the first time at Chancellorsville during the American Civil War and ran from it. Perhaps Crane wanted to give Henry Fleming a chance at redemption, because he brings him to life in this short story where Fleming is now an older man facing a terrifying barn fire which threatens his livestock. YOUR REVIEWS AT APPLE/ITUNES ARE NEEDED AND APPRECIATED! Catch ALL of our shows at one place by going to www.BESTOF1001STORIES.COM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Jon Hagadorn

Topics covered

war
redemption
American Civil War
fire
livestock

Keywords

Stephen Crane
The Veteran
Henry Fleming
American Civil War
short story

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Red Badge of Courage