Perhaps the strangest feature of these two chapters is
the unnamed and faceless “cheerful soldier” who escorts Henry back
to his camp. This character has an almost supernatural quality about him,
and is the subject of numerous and colorful interpretations: some
maintain that he is Jim Conklin’s ghost, while others believe he represents
Jesus Christ. In all probability, Crane’s commitment to realism
would have precluded an interpretation that makes the cheerful soldier
a supernatural or divine being; instead, he seems simply one more
bewildering element in the incomprehensible realm of battle.
