By Carter Skeel, First Things - It’s striking to read Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage today. The Civil War novel follows Private Henry Fleming, a deserter who returns to the army to atone for his cowardice. Most notably, he takes up his regiment’s flag and charges, unarmed, toward enemy fire, with the goal of capturing their flag. On the one hand, the idea of giving the last full measure of devotion for a standard seems a bit strange today. On the other, flags have undoubtedly retained the symbolism of yesteryear.