In The Red Badge of Courage, what are important quotes from Chapters 11-13?

Chapters 11-13 of The Red Badge of Courage deal with Henry's flight from battle and his re-emergence among a throng of wounded and retreating men. Seeing the battle-weary men made his guilt at running grow even stronger.

    Again he thought that he wished he was dead. He believed that he envied a corpse. Thinking of the slain, he achieved a great contempt for some of them, as if they were guilty for thus becoming lifeless. They might have been killed by lucky chances, he said, before they had had opportunities to flee or before they had been really tested. Yet they would receive laurels from tradition. He cried out bitterly that their crowns were stolen and their robes of glorious memories were shams. However, he still said that it was a great pity he was not as they. (Chapter 11)

In Chapter 12, he tries to elicit some information from one of the retreating soldiers, but instead, the dazed soldier retaliates.

    The youth, after rushing about and throwing interrogations at the heedless bands of retreating infantry, finally clutched a man by the arm. They swung around face to face.
    “Why—why—” stammered the youth struggling with his balking tongue.
    The man screamed: “Let go me! Let go me!” His face was livid and his eyes were rolling uncontrolled. He was heaving and panting. He still grasped his rifle, perhaps having forgotten to release his hold upon it. He tugged frantically, and the youth being compelled to lean forward was dragged several paces.
    “Let go me! Let go me!”
    “Why—why—” stuttered the youth.
    “Well, then!” bawled the man in a lurid rage. He adroitly and fiercely swung his rifle. It crushedupon the youth's head. The man ran on.  (Chapter 12)

In Chapter 13, Henry locates his regiment and discovers that his flight from battle had gone unnoticed. He quickly concocts a story to cover his true actions.

    The youth found that now he could barely stand upon his feet. There was a sudden sinking of his forces. He thought he must hasten to produce his tale to protect him from the missiles already at the lips of his redoubtable comrades. So, staggering before the loud soldier, he began: “Yes, yes. I've—I've had an awful time. I've been all over. Way over on th' right. Ter'ble fightin' over there. I had an awful time. I got separated from th' reg'ment. Over on th' right, I got shot. In th' head. I never see sech fightin'. Awful time. I don't see how I could a' got separated from th' reg'ment. I got shot, too.”  (Chapter 13)

His head wound, received from the terrified Union soldier in Chapter 12, was believed to be a battle wound by his astounded comrades. His cowardly actions had been erased, and he settled down to sleep.

What are some meaningful quotes from chapters 16 and 17 of The Red Badge of Courage?

In the third section of Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage,while Henry Fleming becomes an experienced soldier and is respected by his fellow soldiers, he has learned that many of the obligations of a life can be easily avoided.  Henry has clearly also experienced a transformation. believing that "a stout heart" often escapes harm.  He imagines how he will return home and provide people with glowing stories of the war.

In contrast to this glorified vision, Chapter XVI points to the senseless of the battles in which the men are engaged. Henry's regiment is marched to an area where they are to relieve another.  As the men wait for battle, Wison lies down to sleep, and Henry cannot talk over the din of the guns:

But at last the guns stopped, and among the men in the rifle pits rumors again flew, like birds, but they were now for the most part black creatures who flapped their wings drearily near to the ground and refused to rise on any wings of hope. The men's faces grew doleful from the interpreting of omens.

This passage is an example of Crane's skillful use of simile, imagery, metaphor, and naturalism. The men mistakenly interpret "omens" from what is really an indifferent universe.  For, shortly thereafter, the sun comes out as though things are bright and cheerful:  "Before the grey mists had been totally obliterated by the sun's rays....."

Later in this chapter, Henry rails against the way in which his regiment fights, saying,

"Nobody seems to know where we go or why we go....  We just get fired around from pillar to post and get licked here and get licked there, and nobody knows what it's done for. It makes a man feel like a damn' kitten in a bag. Now, I'd like to know what the eternal thunders we was marched into these woods for anyhow, unless it was to give the rebs a regular pot shot at us. We came in here and got our legs all tangled up in these cussed briers, and then we begin to fight and the rebs had an easy time of it. Don't tell me it's just luck! I know better. It's this derned old—”

But, the lieutenant savagely interrupts him, ordering the regiment to quick their haggling.  The worn men quiet down and the battle roar "settled to a rolling thunder" as the soldiers "stood as men tied to stakes," again mere pawns in a futile battle.

In Chapter XVII,  Henry undergoes a transformation, but it is not one that the army has effected.  Instead, he becomes enraged. losing his former terror; it is his selfishness rather than his loyalty to the Union that precipitates his "bravery." For, rather than truly displaying uncommon valor, Henry's fury is directed at himself for having behaved like a coward, and at the universe for its indifference, and at the enemy.  Nevertheless, when he returns to his comrades and "sprawled like a man who had been thrashed.  His flesh seemed strangely on fire..."  Yet, the lieutenant praises him.

By this struggle he had overcome obstacles which he had admitted to be mountains. They had fallen like paper peaks, and he was now what he called a hero. And he had not been aware of the process.

These chapters of Crane's novel certainly underscore the futility of war and the indifference of the universe to the activities of man.

What are some pertinent quotes from chapters 21, 22, and 23 of The Red Badge of Courage?

Ch 21: They speedily forgot many things. The past held no pictures of error and disappointment. They were very happy, and their hearts swelled with grateful affection for the colonel and the youthful lieutenant.

(The Youth and his regiment forget the horror of the conflict insults of the Officer who had disparaged their earlier efforts after the troops receive some compliments.)

Ch 22: At sight of this danger the men suddenly ceased their cursing monotone. There was an instant of strained silence before they threw up their rifles and fired a plumping volley at the foes. There had been no order given; the men, upon recognizing the menace, had immediately let drive their flock of bullets without waiting for word of command.

(The drama and reality of war. How men will act as one, as evidence by the shooting that begins without command and seemingly on instinct.)

Ch 23: The youth had centered the gaze of his soul upon that other flag. Its possession would be high pride. It would express bloody minglings, near blows. He had a gigantic hatred for those who made great difficulties and complications. They caused it to be as a craved treasure of mythology, hung amid tasks and contrivances of danger.

He plunged like a mad horse at it. He was resolved it should not escape if wild blows and darings of blows could seize it. His own emblem, quivering and aflare, was winging toward the other. It seemed there would shortly be an encounter of strange beaks and claws, as of eagles.

(Getting the flag is the ultimate symbol of victory. To capture it will bring great recognition to a soldier)