Lieutenant Character Analysis in The Red Badge of Courage

A mid-level commander in Henry's regiment named Hasbrouck. He is described as fiery with an endless supply of foul language. The lieutenant represents the qualities of selfless valor and leadership that Henry and Wilson want to emulate. Though shot in the hand and again in the arm, the lieutenant remains committed to rallying his regiment to fight and charge. In contrast to Henry's fixation on personal glory, the lieutenant sees the regiment as a unit, and does not get mired in contemplating his wounds or his actions.

Lieutenant Character Timeline in The Red Badge of Courage

The timeline below shows where the character Lieutenant appears in The Red Badge of Courage. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Artillery shells and bullets start hitting the ground and trees around Henry's position. Their lieutenant is shot in the hand and swears so terribly that his men laugh nervously. (full context)

The lieutenant collars a soldier trying to run away and beats him back into line. Henry sees... (full context)

The lieutenant leads them back to a position in a clearing and tells his complaining soldiers to... (full context)

The lieutenant praises Henry, saying that if he had ten thousand "wild cats" like Henry he could... (full context)

...soldiers feel like frenzied berserkers, but they soon falter, huddling together like dazed sheep. The lieutenant screams to get them moving. Wilson fires a shot into the woods, snapping the soldiers... (full context)

But when they reach some trees, the soldiers hesitate a second time. The lieutenant, Henry, and Wilson all scream at the men to push on. Their flag obediently gets... (full context)

...enemy that suddenly seems invincible. More enemy soldiers start to close in around them. The lieutenant has been shot in the arm but continues to urge the men on, swearing wildly. (full context)

...prove the insulting officer wrong will not come true. Ashamed and angry, Henry joins the lieutenant in trying to inspire the regiment to fight, but the men are run down. (full context)

The regiment starts to scatter in panic. Suddenly, the lieutenant sees gray soldiers advancing through the smoke and a vicious and desperate fight breaks out... (full context)

The colonel apologizes. The lieutenant starts to protest that his men fought hard, but the colonel shuts him up. Wilson... (full context)

Several soldiers rush over to Henry and Wilson, reporting that they overheard the colonel and lieutenant praising the bravery Henry and Wilson showed in leading the charge. They should be major-generals,... (full context)

...final revenge will be his own dead body lying on the battlefield. Wilson and the lieutenant are nearby, but the regiment is growing weaker. (full context)