The Red Badge of Courage

by Stephen Crane

The Red Badge of Courage: Dialect 1 key example

Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—American Vernacular:

Henry and his fellow infantry soldiers speak in a colorful American vernacular dialect that testifies to their humble origins. In the novel, Crane renders that dialect phonetically. For example, in relating a (probably false) rumor about spectacular Union victories, a soldier in Henry's regiment says: 

I met one of th’ 148th Maine boys an’ he ses his brigade fit th’ hull rebel army fer four hours over on th’ turnpike road an’ killed about five thousand of ’em. He ses one more sech fight as that an’ th’ war ’ll be over.