Though he died tragically at the tender age of 28, Stephen Crane left an indelible mark on American literature, helping to forge a new style of naturalism that relied heavily on vivid descriptions and conveying a sense of immediacy. These war stories, based on Crane’s own experiences as a wartime correspondent and penned as he was losing his battle with the illness that would take his life, highlight the unique skills that set the author apart from the crowd and won him so much literary acclaim.