Why is “A Mystery of Heroism” a typical Realist story?

This excellent short story by Stephen Crane bears many
different hallmarks of Realist literature of the time. Let us just briefly remind
ourselves about some of the characteristics of Realism. Realistic texts reject the
idealised hero of Romantic literature, they give a detailed presentation of ordinary
characters and grimly realistic events, they focus on characters from the lower classes
and focus on the brutal realities of real-life
situations.

We can automatically see a number of these
elements in "A Mystery of Heroism." Firstly, it is told from a common point of view,
focussing on Private Fred Collins and his exploits. Secondly, it is set during a heated
battle during the Civil War, giving us grim descriptions of the realities of such a
situation for soldiers such as Fred Collins. Note the following
description:

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One of a "swing" team was suddenly smitten
quivering ot the ground and his maddened brethren dragged his torn body in their
struggle to escape from this turmoil and danger. A young soldier astride one of the
leaders swore and fumed in his saddle and furiously jerked at the bridle. An officer
screamed out an order so violently that his voice broke and ended the sentence in a
falsetto shriek.

Note the
intense realism of this description. Men are shown to die in brutal, violent and
instantaneous ways. Soldiers and officers are shown to be vulnerable to the intense
pressure they are under, swearing and shrieking. There is no sense in which characters
are presented as idealised heroes.

Lastly, through this
text Crane explores the concept of heroism and war, with grim irony pointing out the
futility of both of these concepts. After all of his efforts and bravery to get the
bucket of water for the men, the bucket is accidentally knocked over and the precious
water, which Fred Collins had risked so much for, ends up on the dirt. Is this really
what we risk our lives for in war, Crane seems to ask?