The Coward is a 1915 American silent historical war drama film directed by Reginald Barker and produced by Thomas H. Ince.

The pressure of the other men wanting to enlist to support the cause is bad enough, but the giddiness of the women is fomenting a sense of impending glory within the community that makes it almost impossible for him not to become swept up in this tide.

His merciless, malevolent gaze as he extends his hand toward the pistol on his desk induces more terror in his son than he was capable of feeling for himself.

The gun scrapes across the wood as he picks it up, impressing the weight of this decision upon us and leaving a permanent scar on this prized heirloom.

Frank, hiding in the attic, overhears a group of officers discussing a weakness in the Union position that might give the compatriots he abandoned a fighting chance.

Then, brandishing pistols, he bursts into the room with the officers, steals their deployment map, and makes a desperate escape toward the Confederate line with a contingent of Union soldiers in close pursuit.

Jefferson is now patrolling the outskirts of the Southern camp in his son's stead, and sees what he believes to be a Union soldier barreling toward his position.

Frank gives his map to the commanding general who immediately recognizes the significance of this discovery, and furiously sets plans in motion to exploit this unexpected opportunity.