Henry returns to walking along with the retreating soldiers. He worries that the soldiers may recognize that he has run from the battle and that they are looking at him and “contemplating the letters of guilt he felt burned into his brow.” Indeed, he envies the wounded soldiers and wishes for an emblem of battle, his own “[little] red badge of courage,”—the first reference to the novel’s title and a symbol of bravery— rather than having the feelings of guilt which he must keep within. Henry sees “the spectral soldier” stumbling along, waving others away, wanting to be alone. On closer scrutiny, Henry realizes that this dying soldier is Jim Conklin.
Henry is overcome with grief at the sight of Jim’s condition. Jim recognizes Henry and tells him that he has only one fear—that he may be run over by a battery coming along the road. He asks Henry to get him out of the road, to keep him safe, if a battery approaches; Henry is so overcome with emotion that he can’t answer his friend except with wild gestures. At that point, the tattered soldier overtakes Henry, and the two try to help Jim, but he waves them off. Suddenly, Jim begins to run through the field, followed by Henry and the tattered soldier. Jim stops, and, after several body-shaking convulsions, he stands tall and then dies.
