Once Henry hears the words, "Here they come!." he is a changed soldier. Henry seems to totally forget the fears that have almost overwhelmed him up to this point in the novel.
Henry transforms from a fearful, doubtful, questioning recruit to a confident, aggressive, regimental soldier in only one battle. Henry stands side by side with other recruits and with experienced veterans — all working together for a single cause — to hold the line. As Crane tells the reader, "He [Henry] became not a man but a member. He felt that something of which he was a part — a regiment, an army, a cause, a country — was in a crisis. He was welded into a common personality which was dominated by a single desire." This is a phenomenon common to all human beings. In times of trouble, people find strength in numbers. Henry is no exception. He stands up in battle, fights, and helps the regiment repel the enemy.
Henry' reaction is the reaction of any soldier. If he is to fight, he must be energized and focused. This attack by the enemy has angered and exasperated him, and, as a result, he wants to remove this source of irritation, in this case the enemy. His fears are surpassed by his anger and frustration, and he fires his rifle repeatedly as a result. It is not until the enemy retreats that he realizes what he and his comrades have accomplished.
Henry's ability to recognize that the battle just completed is but one part of a larger war is significant because it shows Henry getting outside himself and looking at the bigger picture. To this point, Henry has been very focused on himself. This ability to get beyond himself and to see the larger issues shows a developing maturity on the part of Henry — something not seen before in him.
