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Civil War Barons: The Tycoons, Entrepreneurs, Inventors, and Visionaries Who Forged Victory and Shaped a Nation Kindle Edition
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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 as:
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.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherDa Capo
- Publication dateNovember 6, 2018
- File size48000 KB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Jeffry Wert has done all of us a great service. Civil War Barons conveys the story about those who helped forge our American Civil War. All of those profiled here had a profound impact not only on the war itself but our lives today. Civil War Barons illustrates why the war is relevant even after more than 150 years."--Wayne E. Motts, CEO of The National Civil War Museum
"Civil War Barons will be long regarded as a must-read for historians and enthusiasts alike. Each chapter chronicles the genius and determination of a handful of individuals who changed forever the way wars were fought; saved the Union; and sparked the industrial might of twentieth-century America. To read Wert's book is to understand the war and its outcome like never before."--Keven Walker, CEO at Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation
"Diverse character studies that give a broad view of the sweeping economic revolutions of the era."―Kirkus
"Wert's skill in weaving together historical argument and satisfying narrative are on full display in Civil War Barons."―The Civil War Monitor
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B07B8M9D6V
- Publisher : Da Capo; Illustrated edition (November 6, 2018)
- Publication date : November 6, 2018
- Language : English
- File size : 48000 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 225 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,242,964 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #479 in Reconstruction History of the U.S.
- #932 in Government & Business
- #1,021 in Economic History (Kindle Store)
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book interesting and useful for understanding the history of the barons. They appreciate the detailed stories about their contributions to economic growth in America during the last half of the 19th century. The research is superb and the book is readable.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book interesting and informative. It provides useful background for understanding the history of the era. Readers appreciate the detailed stories of the barons' contributions to economic growth. The profiles are interesting and provide good information on various entrepreneurs in the antebellum and Civil War eras.
"very interesting, shows how modern american industry was shaped by the Civil War, it was an age of innovation" Read more
"...It provides some useful background for those who want to understand the history of the era and the industrialization of America...." Read more
"Given as gift to history buff specializing in Civil War. The book was very inciteful...." Read more
"The topic of Civil War Barons is an interesting one...." Read more
Customers like the book.
"...I could not have done a better job if I picked or wrote it myself. Very good. Affordable." Read more
"I liked the book, and though there were some who profited from the war(tremendously), it’s nice to know that some helped for the right reason" Read more
"Good Book though didn't hold my attention very well." Read more
"This was a thoroughly enjoyable read about a remarkable confluence of American industrial and entrepreneurial genius during the civil war era." Read more
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Jeffry Wert Finds Victory Behind the Lines
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2024very interesting, shows how modern american industry was shaped by the Civil War, it was an age of innovation
- Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2019A 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.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2019Given as gift to history buff specializing in Civil War. The book was very inciteful. I could not have done a better job if I picked or wrote it myself. Very good. Affordable.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2020The topic of Civil War Barons is an interesting one. The book includes 19 individuals and, as the author explains, the reader may not be familiar with ten while the other nine individuals are well known. As might be expected when an author is providing short biographies, some are more robust than others.
My problem with the book is the organization. The Prologue provides a sound beginning with a history of the period. Chapter One (titled “Sturrings”) provides a good background about the needs the barons will fulfill. Chapter 2 discusses two individuals but does not separate them into distinct sections. It was confusing. Chapter 3 primarily discusses one individual with whom I was not familiar but who was very interesting.
Chapters 4-11 have a definite structure but it is one that is difficult to follow. Each chapter includes biographies of two men, but it is divided into four parts. The first part is about the pre-civil war activity of first individual, the second part is about the pre-civil war activity of the second individual, the third part is about the civil war activity of the first individual and the fourth part is about the civil war activity of the second individual. The author discusses post-civil war activity in an entirely different chapter, called a Postscript. I see no reason why the author did not discuss everything about each individual in one place and provide the reader with smooth transitions. His organization is confusing. The table of contents provides chapter titles. It also should have included the names of the individuals discussed in that chapter so readers can choose if they wish to do so.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2019I liked the book, and though there were some who profited from the war(tremendously), it’s nice to know that some helped for the right reason
- Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2018Superb research. I knew about only a few of the barons. Detailed stories of their contributions to the economic growth of America during the last half of the 19th Century and the role of the government growth. Learn about Ed Squibb, and Gail Borden.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2019Loved the individual info on each persons history, I really learned a lot, yet it wasn’t boring or dry. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys American history and how this country evolved.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2020Well written well researched. A look at the economic side of the Civil War where the Union enjoyed such an advantage. A must read for anyone interested in the history of the war.
Top reviews from other countries
- satprofReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 17, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed biographies of several people who had a major impact on the US Civil War
A typical Brit, my understanding of the US Civil War was negligible. In relating the lives of these individuals, much Civil War history is told along the way; this is in addition to the fascinating lives they led. Much recommended.