From Booklist
The Medal of Honor was first issued during the Civil War, and since it was the only military award for valor during that war, 1,527 medals were awarded. By the time of the Spanish American War, there were more earned medals available for distribution, and the Medal of Honor became the supreme honor. During the military action in Vietnam, a much longer conflict than the Civil War, 238 medals were awarded. The excellent introduction to this new biographical reference includes an interesting history of the award, with a discussion of our attitudes about military medals since the American Revolution.

The work contains 3,399 biographical entries; the final entry is for a soldier killed in Somalia. Information given in all but a few entries includes rank, service unit, birthday, place of birth, date of death, place of death, cemetery, date the person entered service, military unit, battle or place of action for which the award was given, date of action, General Order Number for the medal, and complete citation explaining the reason for awarding the medal. Arrangement is by war and then by names of recipients in alphabetical order. There are 24 sections, including a section for unknown soldiers. Appendixes add to the reference value, including a list by state of enlistment and birth, foreign-born winners arranged by country of birth, statistical tables of winners arranged by war, a surprisingly lengthy bibliography, and an index of names. Unfortunately, citations to books or articles concerning events or individuals are not included in individual entries.

Most of the information contained here, including the appendixes, can be located in government documents, the last major compilation being prepared by the Committee on Veterans Affairs, U.S. Senate, Medal of Honor Recipients, 1863^-1978, (96th Congress, 1st session, Senate Committee Print No.3). The federal publication does not include death date (if person survived the action), place of death (stateside), or place of burial. The Senate publication contains a better history of the medal's design and how it has evolved over time. There is also a calendar of congressional acts, revised regulations, and statutes relating to the history of the Medal of Honor. But the new Facts On File compilation is more up-to-date and contains a more readable history for laypersons.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews   6 of 11 people found the following review helpful: Excellent compilation., June 22, 1997 By A Customer All 3397 Medal of Honor recipients are listed, from the Civil War to Somalia, with all essential information given: name, both true and assumed, rank, service and unit, dates of birth and death, place of death and cemetary, date and place of action, and more. Attractively presented in large format, in two volumes, with appendices, bibliography, and index, this is the essential reference for anyone interested in the Medal of Honor or American military history. Illustrations of the medals themselves are not provided, the only fault noted. (The numerical rating above is a default setting within Amazon's format. This reviewer does not employ numerical ratings.)  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   Medal of Honor Winners, September 15, 2007 By  Hulbert T. Diehr "The Dire Wolf" (Ann Arbor) - See all my reviews    This set of two books lists the written commendation from the commander in the field for each man earning the Medal of Honor from the Civil War to 1994. This sounds pretty dull, perhaps, but try reading several of these without feeling your heart pound. We've had some awesome heroes in America and will have many more. These brief stories of some of them are absolutely incredible.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (