A Shower of Stars - The Medal of Honor and the 27th Maine

Jul 31, 2026

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Examines the Medal of Honor’s solemn U.S. history through the specific case of the 27th Maine, a regiment of nine-month volunteers from York County. Research by John J. Pullen highlights a surprising discrepancy: 864 Medals issued to the 27th Maine versus four to the 20th Maine after Little Round Top. The work traces the controversy surrounding the medal’s integrity, the scarcity of surviving records on these recipients, and the mystery that emerged from that “wholesale shower of stars.”

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages304

Reading Time12 h 46 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

Medal of Honor: history and controversy

The 27th Maine discrepancy

The mystery of the missing records

A SHOWEROF STARS The Medalof Honovand the27th MaineJoHN J.PULLEN A S # HOWEROF STARS Br JoHN J.PULLEN Cince 1941 the Medal of Honor hasbeen more often awarded to deadthan to living men.Of all the medalsissued by the United States Govern-ment,this singular medal has had aparticularly solemn glory attached to itsmeaning.But a look at its history revealsthat,from its inception,it was steeped incontroversy,with threats to its integrityswirling in from all sides. Author John J.Pullen,during thecourse of research on the 20th Maine,came across an obscure note indicatingthat the 27th Maine,a group of nine-month volunteers from York County,had been issued 864 Medals of Honor—one for every member of the regiment—while the 20th Maine,having distin-guished itself at Little Round Top,garnered only four such medals.Wasthis discovery the beginning of an untoldstory of extraordinary bravery,or was itan outrageous blunder?Civil War lit-erature yielded nothing about thiswholesale“shower of stars”that hadrained down upon the little-known regi-ment.And,as Pullen tracked down itsdescendants,he found very little infor-mation on the whereabouts of thosemedals.Thus,a mystery was born. (continued on back flap) 7 # A SHOWER OF STARS Otber books by Jobn J.Pullen: THE TwENTIETH MAINE PATRIOTISM IN AMERICA THE TRANSCENDENTAL BoILED DINNER CoMIC RELIEF:THE LIFE AND LAUGHTER OF ARTEMUS WARD # SHOWEROF STARS The Medal of Honorand the 27th Maine by John J.Pullen STACKPOLEBOOKS New material copyright C1997 by John J.Pullen Originally published byJ.B.Lippincott CompanyCopyright ◎1966 by John J.PullenRenewed 1994 Published by STACKPOLE BOOKS5067 Ritter RoadMechanicsburg,PA 17055 All rights reserved,including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any formor by any means,electronic or mechanical,including photocopying,recording,or by anyinformation storage and retrieval system,without permission in writing from the publisherAll inquiries should be addressed to Stackpole Books,5067 Ritter Road,Mechanicsburg,Pennsylvania 17055. Printed in the United States of America 10987654321 # Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Pullen,John J A shower of stars:the Medal of Honor and the 27th Maine/byJohn J.Pullen. P. cm. Originally published:Philadelphia,Lippincott,1966.Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 0-8117-0075-5 1.Medal of Honor.2.United States.Army.Maine InfantryRegiment,27th(1862-1863)I.Title.UB433.P8 199796-43138355.1'342-dc20CIP To Jean 1911-1982

FAQs

What central question does the book raise about the 27th Maine’s Medals of Honor?

It asks whether the reported mass issue of 864 Medals to the 27th Maine reflects extraordinary bravery or an outrageous error.

How does the book compare the 27th Maine with the 20th Maine?

It contrasts 864 Medals attributed to the 27th Maine with only four attributed to the 20th Maine after its distinction at Little Round Top.

Why does the author describe a mystery around the medals’ whereabouts?

As the author tracked descendants of the recipients, he found very little information about where the medals had gone.

Jul 31, 2026

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