Civil War Barons: The Tycoons, Entrepreneurs, Inventors, and Visionaries Who Forged Victory and Shaped a Nation

by Jeffry D. Wert

Before the robber barons there were Civil War barons--a remarkable yet largely unknown group of men whose contributions won the war and shaped America's future.

The Civil War woke a sleeping giant in America, creating unprecedented industrial growth that not only supported the struggle but reshaped the nation.

Energized by the country's dormant potential and wealth of natural resources, individuals of vision, organizational talent, and capital took advantage of the opportunity that war provided. Their innovations sustained Union troops, affected military strategy and tactics, and made the killing fields even deadlier. Their ranks included men such

John Deere , whose plows helped feed large armies

Gail Borden , whose condensed milk nourished the Union army

The Studebaker Brothers , whose wagons moved war supplies from home front to war front

Robert Parrott , whose rifled cannon was deployed on countless battlefields.

and many others.

Individually, these men came to dominate industry and amass great wealth and power; collectively, they helped save the Union and refashion the economic fabric of a nation.

Utilizing extensive research in manuscript collections, company records, and contemporary newspapers, historian Jeffry D. Wert casts a revealing light on the individuals most responsible for bringing the United States into the modern age.

Genres: Civil War, History, Nonfiction, American History, Biography, Business, American Civil War

288 pages, Hardcover

First published November 6, 2018

About the author

American historian and author specializing in the American Civil War. He graduated cum laude with a B.A. from Lock Haven University, and a M.A. from The Pennsylvania State University, both in History. He worked for many years as a history teacher at Penns Valley Area High School in Spring Mills, Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Dave Schoettinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I received library privileges as a second grader, I turned my back on the fiction offerings in our small school library and availed myself of the only non-fiction options available to second graders: the little blue biographies. Although these too were mostly fiction, they were at least about real people and some were about baseball players. I read the books on all of the baseball players, even the one on Roy Campanella, although I was pretty sure that his bio was in our segregated, white, North Carolina grade school only because the librarian was not a baseball fan and didn't realize that Roy was black. I was sure that I would be reprimanded if anyone caught me reading it, like the time I drank from the wrong water fountain in JC Penneys. Once I finished the baseball players, I read the standards: Washington, Lincoln, Edison, Stonewall Jackson (this was North Carolina), and on to people I'd never heard of like John Wanamaker. I even read Clara Barton and Molly Pitcher, although I tried to hide those from my classmates. At age 7 I was not yet secure in my masculinity.

I describe this portion of my youth because the semi-hagiographic tone used by Mr. Wert in this book reminds me of the little blue biographies. This book is a tribute to those men who due to hard work, mechanical cleverness, or financial astuteness assisted the North in winning the Civil War. The huge amounts of taxpayer money that most of them reaped in doing so is not held against them, but is presented as proof of their abilities. Episodes such as John Deere and his fellow job creators colluding to fix plow prices during the war are treated matter-of-factly as normal means of doing business, which they probably were. Readers who see moral flaws in trickle down economics may want to skip this book.

However for readers who can compartmentalize their moral outrage, there are many interesting stories in this book and Mr. Wert's narrative flows nicely. He tells of a Mr. Spencer who invented a repeating rifle which he thought would assist the army. He took his gun to Washington and called at the White House to show the gun to the president. As a result, he and Lincoln spent the afternoon target shooting at a nearby park and the Army ordered several hundred of the rifles.

Or the background of Gail Borden. Before he invented condensed milk and made a fortune selling it to the Union Army, he had been one of the leaders in the Texas War of Independence. I was inspired by this story to write the following limerick for those familiar with Texas pronunciations:

The Alamo is in San Antonio de Bexar;
Its defenders, the Mexican Army did not scexar;
Said their leader Jim Bowie,
"Santa Ana is so full of hooey
and our chances of victory are middling to fexar.

Mr. Wert is not to blame for that.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic overview of some of the unsung heroes of the Civil War era. I found this book to be very informative and especially enjoyed the character vignettes contained within. Although I was familiar with several of the people described, I nevertheless learned more details about them. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading of the Civil War era. An absorbing read.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good read, especially the Wisconsin connections. While it was well documented, I think that this is just a tiny amount of information to get you to do your own investigation, if you are so interested.

[David Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of good information on various entrepreneurs in the antebellum and Civil War era. The chapters have somewhat contrived labels - administrators, inventors, improvisers, patriots, etc. - as the individuals profiled could have been put in multiple categories. Still, it gives some semblance of organization that is as good as any other. Each chapter profiles two key men who built successful businesses leading up to the Civil War, and then how those businesses impacted the ability of the Union to win the war. The Studebaker brothers, for example, became huge wagon makers, thousands of which were needed in the Union supply chains. Others profiled include Jay Cooke, Henry Burden, James Eads, and Robert Parrott, along with more familiar names like Christopher Spencer (repeating rifles), Edward Squibb (pharmaceuticals), Cyrus McCormick (reapers), Andrew Carnegie, John Deere, Gail Borden (condensed milk), Philip Armour (canned meats), Frederick Weyerhaeuser, and Cornelius Vanderbilt.

Overall, the book is well written and the profiles are interesting. It provides some useful background for those who want to understand the history of the era and the industrialization of America. While some may have southern roots, all of those profiled built their businesses in the North prior to the war and grew because of it. This isn't surprising because the northern free-labor states were focused on improving and developing while the southern slave-labor states were focused on maintaining an agricultural economy.

[Mal Warwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

How inventors and businessmen won the Civil War for the Union

In 1860, when civil war erupted, the federal government was a mere shadow of what it has become today. The federal budget was about $63 million, only about $2.5 billion in 2025 dollars. That compares to the $6.6 trillion, or $6,600 billion, the government spent in the the past year. And only about 36,000 civilians worked for the federal government in 1860, 85 percent of them for the post office. Twenty-five thousand served in the US Army and Navy. Today the government employs 1.32 million active-duty soldiers, sailors, and airmen and some 2.9 million civilians. How, then, could the United States arm, clothe, feed, house, and transport millions of troops and raise billions of dollars to fund a protracted war? Jeffry D. Wert explains in Civil War Barons how that became possible only when the government turned to the private sector. The upshot? American industry won the Civil War.

A staggering accomplishment

Here’s the gist of it, in Wert’s words: “[A]t war’s end in April 1865, the federal government had spent more than $3 billion on the victory. [That’s about $60 billion today.] Two-thirds of that amount had gone for the purchase of materiel.

“On some items, the numbers were staggering: 1 billion rounds of small arms ammunition, 1 million horses and mules, 1.5 million barrels of pork, 100 million pounds of coffee, 6 million woolen blankets, and 10 million pairs of shoes. . .

“This level of mobilization could not have been possible without an American business culture, natural and man-made resources, a skilled and trainable workforce, and leaders in private industry.”

This dwarfed what the 11 states of the Confederacy could bring to bear. And, to make the case, Wert paints us a picture of the work of 19 exceptional inventors, entrepreneurs, and financiers who played large roles in the effort.

Business leaders and innovators both well known and obscure

Half of the men profiled in Wert’s book are little known today. But the other half “are well known to millions of contemporary Americans because of their creations or their wealth—Philip D. Armour, Gail Borden Jr., Andrew Carnegie, John Deere, Cyrus McCormick, Edward Squibb, the Studebaker brothers, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Frederick Weyerhaeuser.” Their work was key to victory. Meatpacking. Condensed milk. Farm machinery. Pharmaceuticals. Carriages. Shipping. And lumber. These industries, combined with the work of other leaders in the financial markets, logistics, railroad construction and management, submarines, advanced weaponry, and innovation in numerous other industries rounded out the work of their better-known contemporaries. In the long run, the South never had a chance.

A summary of the book by Claude-AI

At the risk of putting to shame my own, less wide-ranging account above, I asked the artificial intelligence Claude-AI to summarize the book. I’m including its effort below, verbatim except that I’ve deleted the URLs to its sources and added subheads to ease reading.

In Civil War Barons, historian Jeffry D. Wert examines a remarkable yet largely unknown group of men whose contributions won the war and shaped America’s future. The Civil War woke a sleeping giant in America, creating unprecedented industrial growth that not only supported the struggle but reshaped the nation. Published in 2018, this 288-page work shifts Wert’s focus from his usual military histories to explore the economic and industrial forces that powered Union victory.

Winning the war and accelerating the American economy

The book profiles nineteen “Civil War barons” whose industrial fortunes and futures were yoked to the outcome of the conflict, demonstrating how wars change economies and how the Civil War accelerated American capitalist development. Energized by the country’s dormant potential and wealth of natural resources, these individuals of vision, organizational talent, and capital took advantage of the opportunities that war provided.

Wert arranges the book thematically, with ten main chapters following pairs of entrepreneurs and industrialists. Each individual receives 10-12 pages for their story in accessible, short biographies that avoid overwhelming financial details. The subjects include familiar names like John Deere, whose plows helped feed large armies; Gail Borden, whose condensed milk nourished Union troops; the Studebaker Brothers, whose wagons moved war supplies; and Robert Parrott, whose rifled cannon was deployed on countless battlefields.

Brilliant inventors played a large role

Lesser-known figures receive equal attention, including Henry Burden (who developed a method to produce 60 horseshoes per minute), Gordon McKay (who patented a machine to sew soles to shoes), and J. Edgar Thomson (architect of the Pennsylvania Railroad). The book also features Christopher Spencer, whose repeating rifle earned Abraham Lincoln’s personal endorsement after Spencer demonstrated its capabilities at the White House.

These innovations sustained Union troops, affected military strategy and tactics, and made the killing fields even deadlier. Their ranks helped save the Union and refashion the economic fabric of a nation. In a literature so focused on soldiers’ deeds, Wert offers a refreshing reminder of the vast network that enabled their victory—men needed trains, shoes, and horses to conduct effective campaigns.

Based on extensive research

Utilizing extensive research in manuscript collections, company records, and contemporary newspapers, Wert demonstrates that these men became models of Lincoln’s Republican vision of a free labor republic that rewarded persistent pursuit of economic betterment and innovation. The book reveals how these wartime entrepreneurs laid the foundation for America’s postwar industrial expansion during the Gilded Age, transforming the nation from handmade production to automated assembly lines.

About the author

Jeffry D. Wert has written 10 books about the Civil War. He holds a BA from Lock Haven University, and an MA from Pennsylvania State University, both in History. A former history teacher at Penns Valley High School, he lives in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, slightly more than one hour from the battlefield at Gettysburg. He was born nearby in 1946.

[Ryann · Rating 3 out of 5]

“They operated railroads, cast big guns, designed repeating firearms, condensed milk, sawed lumber, cured meat, built warships, purified medicines, forged iron, made horseshoes, supplied shoes, constructed wagons, and financed a war.”

Taken from the epilogue, this excerpt really summarizes what you can expect from this book. Jeffry Wart collected a wonderful mix of characters. From the well known figures like Andrew Carnegie, John Deere, Cyrus McCormick and Cornelius Vanderbilt, to the lesser known men like Gordon McKay, Collis Huntington and Gail Borden. It would be the private enterprises that the Union Army would almost entirely rely upon. Manufacturing in the North would see a 13% rise in just three years. Philadelphia alone would gain 180 new factories.

I particularly enjoyed learning about President Lincoln’s appreciation of inventions and how he would encourage and view the work brought to the White House from inventors. When Christopher Spencer presented his Spencer Rifle to Lincoln, he was asked upon review to return the following day where they would proceed to test fire the gun in a shooting match. Imagine shooting firearms with the President in the middle of a war, that just blew my mind.

This book gives you a short backstory to each individual before going into the war effort. With nineteen characters presented, I would have liked to have seen fewer individuals so a better focus could have been made on each person’s ability to produce in large quantity in the rush that was required, while also taking a closer look at how their products played successfully into the war effort.

Overall a very interesting look at the industrial machine that was pivotal to the Union’s success.

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You are rushing into a war with one of the most powerful, ingeniously mechanical and determined people on earth-right at your doors. . . . If your people would but stop and think, they must see that in the end, you will surely fail." - William T. Sherman

I have always been a Civil War fanatic, but this book gave me a new perspective on it. For starters, it described how industrially and mechanically ahead the North was over the South. The North had the tools, trades, and craftsmen, and the population, while the South was used to cotton and maybe an occasional mill or two.

Some of the "barons, tycoons, entrepreneurs, inventors and visionaries" in this book are John Deere, Gail Borden, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Frederick Weyerhaeuser, J. Edgar Thomson, Christopher Spencer, Edward Squibb, and the Studebaker Brothers, along with Robert Parrott, Gordon McKay, Thomas Scott, Cyrus McCormick, Collis Hungtington, Abram Hewitt, James Eads, Jay Cooke, Henry Burden, Andrew Carnegie, and Philip Armour.

Most of these businessmen, except for John Deere, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Frederick Weyerhaesuer, and Andrew Carnegie were people I didn't know. So yes, even though it's nonfiction it has some surprises in it.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up Civil War Barons based upon an interview with Jeffry Wert that I saw last summer. I thought that the premise had promise: the stories of twenty men (more, if you count the Studebakers) who through innovation, imagination, skill, luck, and hard work became leaders in the industrial changes that helped to propel the Union to victory in the American Civil War.

I am not going to say that I was mistaken, but the topic turned out to be less compelling than I had hoped. Don't get me wrong… the book was well-researched and I think that Mr. Wert covered his subjects well. Maybe my problem is that I expected a few more "Aha!" moments, a few more episodes that demonstrated how these men contributed to the war effort in more startling ways. Perhaps I should have better managed my expectations.

I was also a bit distracted by Mr. Wert's habit of breaking up the biographies. You will understand what I mean if you read the book.

But in the end, while I was glad to have read these stories, I was left feeling that these were better presented as a series of magazine articles than as a comprehensive book. And in the end, the book will move on and not become part of my library.

[Mark Luongo · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely interesting and at times captivating look at some of those individuals "behind" what it took to win the Civil War. Some may be familiar, some not so familiar. But all contributing to the ultimate Union victory and helping to forge what was to come in our nation's history. Cooke (banking), Studebaker (wagons and later cars), Squibb (pharmaceuticals), Burden (horseshoes), Spencer (firearms), Deere (farm equipment), Thomson (railroads), Eads (engineer) and Staten Island's own Cornelius Vanderbilt (shipping) to name a few.
Author Wert is an excellent storyteller.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading Jeff Wert's book for years.
I found his latest,Civil War Barons,as good as his first book,many years ago.

He tells you of the inventors,the investors and those who used the war as a way to just make money.

It's a part of American Civil War history,that has remained largely unexamined,but worth the time to investigate.

Learned a lot from reading Mr. Wert's book

[W Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A different look at how the Federal government was able to put down the rebellion and win the Civil War. Wert documents how the industrial might of the northern states developed and laid the groundwork for the Gilded Age that followed. He does this by tracing the rise of twenty men in a variety of fields. An excellent read.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, though unsystematic

This is basically a collection of vignettes about different businessmen during the Civil War. That makes for an entertaining book, though I was hoping for a more comprehensive history.

[Alan Robisch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a BA in American History and have read much history over my lifetime but this taught me about the industrialization of the North and the innovations that allowed the North to supply the millions of soldiers in the field for the first time

[Evan Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting Vignettes

Throughout this book there were vignettes of some of the behind the scenes men who contributed to the industrial success that helped propel the Union victory in the Civil War. Well written and interesting.

[Gustav A Fingado IV · Rating 5 out of 5]

A different civil war book

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read about a remarkable confluence of American industrial and entrepreneurial genius during the civil war era.

[Yunis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The importance of innovative and powerful men helped the northern in the American Civil War. Being a baron is great if they help improve and expand the abilities of the nation.

[Amanda Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative look at some of the men whose fortunes and legacies were made during the Civil War. A new take on Civil War nonfiction.

[Paul Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very readable, meticulously researched. Deals with the commercial side of the Union victory in the Civil War, a topic I haven't seen dealt with in one book. I really enjoyed reading it.

[Tema · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a book to read for pleasure. Hate to "dis" a book, but I could not get past the second chapter.

[KarenO · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the whole, I enjoyed the book. However the writing style was rather dull. The stories could use a better presentation. Then the book would be 4 stars.

[John Landes · Rating 5 out of 5]

GREAT book!

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book on some of the characters in the Civil War who were not the
fighting men but supported the fighting men.

[Dryan1066 · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting book not ground breaking

[Frank Stein · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a prosopography (it's a word) of 16 different Civil War entrepreneurs, which looks at how each prospered during the conflict. The book is a bit of a mess, with each chapter containing two intertwined biographies, tied together only by amorphous titles like The Dreamers, The Builders, The Opportunists, which could in fact apply to all or any of these characters. The writing seems to bob and weave in and out of time periods sporadically, and is often confusing. Still, I enjoyed the book because it provided a look, not at how the overall U.S. economy did during the war, which is oft-discussed, but how some of America's biggest fortunes were based in it.

Abram Hewitt and Edward Cooper, son of the polymath entrepreneur Peter Cooper, were ardent Democrats who questioned the wisdom of keeping the South in the Union, but who switched to becoming ardent patriots. Their Trenton Iron Works couldn't make suitable gunmetal for the Springfield Armory rifles. But Hewitt traveled to England and talked to workingmen in bars at the Whitworth and Marshall & Mills companies to learn how to get it right. In June 1862 they finally got their contract and made thousands of tons worth, at almost no profit to the company itself (although they did better on gun carriages, rails and wires). On the other hand, the Studebaker brothers were blacksmiths and "Dunkers" or pacifist German Baptists. They first one a contract with the army to supply the anti-Mormon expedition in 1857 (brother Henry left rather than make money from war), and then used sales to the army in the Civil War to kept expanding their factory and building some of the wagons essential for the war effort (the army estimated they needed one wagon for every 50 men). In 1902, the last brothers took the company in auto manufacturing.

The book also has some great set-pieces, like the story of of Christopher Spencer, who brought his breech-loading repeating rifle to DC, and met with President Lincoln himself, who examined the new product, and then examine a shooting test in Treasury Park. Later, Lincoln and his secretary John Hay took turns there shooting the rifle. The President told the War Department to purchase thousands, which brought the army's armature into the modern age.

There are lots of other scattershot stories here, of people who tangentially benefited from the war. Like Cyrus, Leander, and William McCormick, Virginia Democrats whose automatic reaper freed thousands of farmers for the front, or Gail Borden, the former Texas revolutionary newspaperman whose "condensed milk" sold in the tens of thousands to both the War Department and itinerant "sutlers." So yes, a messy book, with often turgid writing, but an interesting one nonetheless, which will provide either a nice introduction or some food for thought.

[Aly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn’t finish this book. Was boring.