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Tycoon's War: How Cornelius Vanderbilt Invaded a Country to Overthrow America's Most Famous Military Adventurer
The author of Legions of Rome and Cyrus the Great recounts how Cornelius Vanderbilt fought a war in Central America to protect his business.
When he died in 1877, Cornelius Vanderbilt, founder of the Vanderbilt dynasty, was wealthier than the U.S. Treasury. But he had nearly lost his fortune in 1856, when William Walker, a young rogue from Nashville, set out to conquer Central America and, in the process, take away Vanderbilt's most profitable shipping business. To win back his empire, Vanderbilt had to win a bloody war involving seven countries.
Tycoon's War tells the story of an epic imperialist duel—a violent battle of capitalist versus idealist, money versus ambition—and a monumental clash of egos that resulted in the deaths of thousands of Americans.
Written by a master storyteller, this incredible true story, impeccably researched and never before told in full, is packed with greed, intrigue, and some of the most hair-raising battle scenes ever written.
"A fascinating window into an era when the rules of industrial capitalism were in their infancy and gunboat diplomacy was standard operating procedure. . . . Reads . . . [like a] screenplay treatment for a hell of a movie." —Wall Street Journal
"One incredible story of adventurism gone wild . . . blind ambition, the clash of wills, money, and conquest—all the elements of good story." —Charleston Post and Courier
"The sheer drama of the story, ably conveyed by Dando-Collins's efficient prose, sweeps the reader along through the misadventure." —Providence Journal
When he died in 1877, Cornelius Vanderbilt, founder of the Vanderbilt dynasty, was wealthier than the U.S. Treasury. But he had nearly lost his fortune in 1856, when William Walker, a young rogue from Nashville, set out to conquer Central America and, in the process, take away Vanderbilt's most profitable shipping business. To win back his empire, Vanderbilt had to win a bloody war involving seven countries.
Tycoon's War tells the story of an epic imperialist duel—a violent battle of capitalist versus idealist, money versus ambition—and a monumental clash of egos that resulted in the deaths of thousands of Americans.
Written by a master storyteller, this incredible true story, impeccably researched and never before told in full, is packed with greed, intrigue, and some of the most hair-raising battle scenes ever written.
"A fascinating window into an era when the rules of industrial capitalism were in their infancy and gunboat diplomacy was standard operating procedure. . . . Reads . . . [like a] screenplay treatment for a hell of a movie." —Wall Street Journal
"One incredible story of adventurism gone wild . . . blind ambition, the clash of wills, money, and conquest—all the elements of good story." —Charleston Post and Courier
"The sheer drama of the story, ably conveyed by Dando-Collins's efficient prose, sweeps the reader along through the misadventure." —Providence Journal
388 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 25, 2008
About the author
Stephen Dando-Collins
47 books132 followersStephen Dando-Collins is the multi-award-winning author of 48 books. British reviewer, noted playwright Robin Hawdon, says that Dando-Collins is "the modern age's foremost dramatizer of Greek and Roman history," while American reviewer bestselling military author Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman has described Dando-Collins as "a literary giant." Considered an authority on the legions of ancient Rome, Dando-Collins has written ancient and modern history, children's novels, scientific nonfiction, and biographies. The bulk of his works deal with military history, ranging from Greek, Persian and Roman times to American, British and Australian 19th century history and World I and Word War II.
Many of his books have been translated into foreign languages including Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Dutch, Russian, Albanian and Korean.
His most acclaimed book on the ancient military, 'LEGIONS OF ROME,' was the culmination of decades of research into Rome's imperial legions.
Dando-Collins aims to travel roads that others have not, unearthing new facts and opening new perspectives on often forgotten or overlooked people and aspects of history.
He has two new books in 2024: 'CAESAR VERSUS POMPEY: Determining Rome's Greatest General, Statesman & Nation-Builder,' (Turner, US), and 'THE BUNA SHOTS: The Amazing Story Behind Two Photographs that Changed the Course of World War Two,' (Australian Scholarly Publishing).
Many of his books have been translated into foreign languages including Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Dutch, Russian, Albanian and Korean.
His most acclaimed book on the ancient military, 'LEGIONS OF ROME,' was the culmination of decades of research into Rome's imperial legions.
Dando-Collins aims to travel roads that others have not, unearthing new facts and opening new perspectives on often forgotten or overlooked people and aspects of history.
He has two new books in 2024: 'CAESAR VERSUS POMPEY: Determining Rome's Greatest General, Statesman & Nation-Builder,' (Turner, US), and 'THE BUNA SHOTS: The Amazing Story Behind Two Photographs that Changed the Course of World War Two,' (Australian Scholarly Publishing).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
September 16, 2012
I knew the basic story from MacPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, and, not knowing much about William Walker, I thought this would be interesting.
The ground here is so fertile; it's a shame that Stephen Dando-Collins does approximately nothing with it. We start with one of the coolest lines in the history of capitalism -- a letter from a tycoon to his erstwhile business partners:
"Gentlemen, you have undertaken to cheat me. I won't sue you, for the law is too slow. I'll ruin you. Yours truly, Cornelius Vanderbilt."
The story of wrongs avenged gets better. Because while Vanderbilt's partners are scamming him, the American William Walker is trying to take over Nicaragua. Vanderbilt needs Nicaragua; the gold rush is heating up in California, and Vanderbilt wants to shuttle passengers from the east coast to the west. Without a railroad or a Panama Canal, the quickest way to do this had been to send them around the southern tip of South America. Vanderbilt had another idea: send boats through the Caribbean to Nicaragua, get on the San Juan River at Greytown, follow the San Juan to Lake Nicaragua, use mules to cover a small strip of ground between the Lake and San Juan Del Sur, and dump them out onto the Pacific. From there, the trip up to California is comparatively short.
There will be conflict eventually. On the one side we have Walker, the American "filibuster" (a term meaning something like "treasure-seeking cowboy" before it meant "reading from the phone book for 72 consecutive hours"), hoping to carve out a new nation under his tutelage in South America. On the other we have a ruthless businessman who needs Walker's territory to make his money. While Vanderbilt plots his enemies' destruction, Walker draws thousands upon thousands of Americans down from the north into his private army and names himself president of Nicaragua. How do those thousands of Americans get there? They need to take ships, obviously. The collision course is set.
Unfortunately, Dando-Collins does as little as possible with these promising materials, and by the end of "Tycoon's War" he reminds us how little he's done with them. For instance: one might want to know what motivates Walker to do what he does. Is it money? Fame? Power? You'd think that in a book ostensibly about "America's Most Famous Military Adventurer," his motivations would be weaved into most every page of the book. Yet Dando-Collins saves them for the end, in a couple-page-long chapter entitled "The Protagonists' Motives."
Dando-Collins wants us to believe that Walker was hugely important within American history. He may well be, but nothing Dando-Collins tells us would suggest so. The best he can come up with is to note that "To this day, there is an historical marker honoring Walker outside the Nashville house where he was born and grew up." Mt. Rushmore it isn't.
The unfortunate reality seems to be that Dando-Collins is a William Walker fanboy. Near "The Protagonists' Motives," we get this: "Throughout Central America today, Walker's name ranks with that of Hitler and Stalin." That is the sole unflattering line about Walker in the book's 342 pages, and it takes 334 pages to get there. The reader is not equipped to understand why Central Americans might view Walker that way.
We can at least hope for solid military history. "Tycoon's War" is a reasonably engaging on that score, and indeed that seems to be the only part of "Tycoon's War" that really interests Dando-Collins. He mostly lets the Walker biography, the Vanderbilt biography, the broader story of the U.S.'s role in this hemisphere, and the clash-of-titans aspects drop.
The ground here is so fertile; it's a shame that Stephen Dando-Collins does approximately nothing with it. We start with one of the coolest lines in the history of capitalism -- a letter from a tycoon to his erstwhile business partners:
"Gentlemen, you have undertaken to cheat me. I won't sue you, for the law is too slow. I'll ruin you. Yours truly, Cornelius Vanderbilt."
The story of wrongs avenged gets better. Because while Vanderbilt's partners are scamming him, the American William Walker is trying to take over Nicaragua. Vanderbilt needs Nicaragua; the gold rush is heating up in California, and Vanderbilt wants to shuttle passengers from the east coast to the west. Without a railroad or a Panama Canal, the quickest way to do this had been to send them around the southern tip of South America. Vanderbilt had another idea: send boats through the Caribbean to Nicaragua, get on the San Juan River at Greytown, follow the San Juan to Lake Nicaragua, use mules to cover a small strip of ground between the Lake and San Juan Del Sur, and dump them out onto the Pacific. From there, the trip up to California is comparatively short.
There will be conflict eventually. On the one side we have Walker, the American "filibuster" (a term meaning something like "treasure-seeking cowboy" before it meant "reading from the phone book for 72 consecutive hours"), hoping to carve out a new nation under his tutelage in South America. On the other we have a ruthless businessman who needs Walker's territory to make his money. While Vanderbilt plots his enemies' destruction, Walker draws thousands upon thousands of Americans down from the north into his private army and names himself president of Nicaragua. How do those thousands of Americans get there? They need to take ships, obviously. The collision course is set.
Unfortunately, Dando-Collins does as little as possible with these promising materials, and by the end of "Tycoon's War" he reminds us how little he's done with them. For instance: one might want to know what motivates Walker to do what he does. Is it money? Fame? Power? You'd think that in a book ostensibly about "America's Most Famous Military Adventurer," his motivations would be weaved into most every page of the book. Yet Dando-Collins saves them for the end, in a couple-page-long chapter entitled "The Protagonists' Motives."
Dando-Collins wants us to believe that Walker was hugely important within American history. He may well be, but nothing Dando-Collins tells us would suggest so. The best he can come up with is to note that "To this day, there is an historical marker honoring Walker outside the Nashville house where he was born and grew up." Mt. Rushmore it isn't.
The unfortunate reality seems to be that Dando-Collins is a William Walker fanboy. Near "The Protagonists' Motives," we get this: "Throughout Central America today, Walker's name ranks with that of Hitler and Stalin." That is the sole unflattering line about Walker in the book's 342 pages, and it takes 334 pages to get there. The reader is not equipped to understand why Central Americans might view Walker that way.
We can at least hope for solid military history. "Tycoon's War" is a reasonably engaging on that score, and indeed that seems to be the only part of "Tycoon's War" that really interests Dando-Collins. He mostly lets the Walker biography, the Vanderbilt biography, the broader story of the U.S.'s role in this hemisphere, and the clash-of-titans aspects drop.
December 29, 2019
This book covers a little-known chapter in history when an American adventurer named William Walker briefly conquered Nicaragua in the mid-1850s. As the Panama Canal did not exist until 1914, Nicaragua at that time had become a popular crossing point between the Atlantic and the Pacific.
"Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt established shipping lines taking passengers to the two coasts of Nicaragua, while also installing smaller ships and roads for the actual transit. A Nicaraguan civil war created an opportunity for Walker, who had already unsuccessfully tried to conquer territory in northern Mexico. Allying himself with one side in the Nicaraguan civil war, Walker brought several hundred mercenaries (most of them American) and joined the fighting. After winning the war, he soon soured on the new government and deposed it in favor of himself. Shortly after that he terminated Vanderbilt's license to operate the crossing of Nicaragua, earning the enmity of one of the world's richest--and most vengeful--characters.
The title of the book comes from Vanderbilt's efforts to dislodge Walker from Nicaragua, which included funding and arming expeditions from Nicaragua's neighboring states and sending American adventurers of his own to attack Walker. It's a well-researched story that shines a light on the difficulties of getting from the Pacific to the Atlantic (or vice-versa) even with the transit route established in Nicaragua, and the even greater problems of controlling that route while fighting a war. The book is an excellent study in the competition between these two tough-minded individuals, as well as a troubling account of the suffering and destruction it caused.
"Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt established shipping lines taking passengers to the two coasts of Nicaragua, while also installing smaller ships and roads for the actual transit. A Nicaraguan civil war created an opportunity for Walker, who had already unsuccessfully tried to conquer territory in northern Mexico. Allying himself with one side in the Nicaraguan civil war, Walker brought several hundred mercenaries (most of them American) and joined the fighting. After winning the war, he soon soured on the new government and deposed it in favor of himself. Shortly after that he terminated Vanderbilt's license to operate the crossing of Nicaragua, earning the enmity of one of the world's richest--and most vengeful--characters.
The title of the book comes from Vanderbilt's efforts to dislodge Walker from Nicaragua, which included funding and arming expeditions from Nicaragua's neighboring states and sending American adventurers of his own to attack Walker. It's a well-researched story that shines a light on the difficulties of getting from the Pacific to the Atlantic (or vice-versa) even with the transit route established in Nicaragua, and the even greater problems of controlling that route while fighting a war. The book is an excellent study in the competition between these two tough-minded individuals, as well as a troubling account of the suffering and destruction it caused.
June 3, 2011
What starts as a fairly fascinating read somewhat dissolves into repeated descriptions of failed military battles, where the dead and wounded have as much significance as they might in a video game.
William walker was truly a fascinating figure. And the means by which he incurred the wrath of Cornelius Vanderbilt sets the stage for a great story. Unfortunately, the author fails to ever really capture Walker's true motivations, leaving me as a reader any real attachment for him and his cause, and thus remorse for the numerous American filibusters he lead to their deaths.
Likewise, while the first few chapters (as well as the book's cover and title) would lead you to believe this was a battle waged between walker and Vanderbilt, the author also fails to really dive into the life and motivation of Vanderbilt after a certain point.
Rather than a war in which you can root for one side or the other, were presented with the arrogance of American colonialists who nearly destroyed a country for unspecified reasons.
William walker was truly a fascinating figure. And the means by which he incurred the wrath of Cornelius Vanderbilt sets the stage for a great story. Unfortunately, the author fails to ever really capture Walker's true motivations, leaving me as a reader any real attachment for him and his cause, and thus remorse for the numerous American filibusters he lead to their deaths.
Likewise, while the first few chapters (as well as the book's cover and title) would lead you to believe this was a battle waged between walker and Vanderbilt, the author also fails to really dive into the life and motivation of Vanderbilt after a certain point.
Rather than a war in which you can root for one side or the other, were presented with the arrogance of American colonialists who nearly destroyed a country for unspecified reasons.
October 25, 2013
A very nice rendering of a footnote incident in American history. In a nutshell, adventurer William Walker and his "filibusters", seeking their own glory in Central America, helped the liberal resistance take power in 1850s Nicaragua. But the conservative forces, allied with neighboring dictatorships and the vengeful Cornelius Vanderbilt (stymied in a bit to dominate the precursor of the Panama Canal) eventually topple the fairly naive Walker. It's a complex episode not neatly portrayed as Good Guys-Bad Guys and certainly not as some kind of eccentric Pre-Confederacy. Dando-Collins avoids cheap stereotyping and if anything documents the often unsavory characters on both sides of the struggle. The only suggestion I would make is to look at the filibuster effort in the wider sense: did it impact Nicaragua's eventual destiny? and if so, how? And how do the victorious Legitimists compare with modern forces?
November 4, 2008
William Walker, the Nashville born adventurer who went to Nicaragua in 1855 with a vision of empire-building, and became progressively a soldier for one side in the Civil War there, then that side's military leader, then the president of the country, represented one ideal American of the last ante-bellum decade: he was a brilliant (former child prodigy), militaristic, ambitious, hard working, loyal gentleman from the South. The rough and tumble men who followed him were called regenerators, or fililbusters, and they embodied the mercenary ideal of American expansionism based on an assumed superiority of Anglo-Saxon/western European cultures over Latin American mestizo and Indian peoples. At the time, Nicaragua provided the crucial connecting route for travelers and mail flowing from the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the U.S.A. to the booming state of California, which had joined the union in 1850, and it also served travelers, mail and that oh-so-precious gold flowing back.
Cornelius Vanderbilt, the American millionaire who made his fortune in transportation (first steamers, then as the nineteenth century went on, in railroads) controlled that Nicaragua transit route, and when some business competitors hoodwinked him while he was off in Europe, and outmaneuvered the company control from him, Vanderbilt dedicated himself, as he always did in such cases, to getting even no matter what the cost or how long it took. Walker, newly coming to power in Nicaragua, made a deal with Vanderbilt's enemies in the best interest of the Nicaraguan government (and Walker's personal advancement). That decision triggered the conflict between these two larger-than-life men that was played out with the lives of thousands and the political futures of several Central American countries affected as a result.
This detailed history examines the struggles between the two men with precision. This historian has done his research well. The series of military campaigns and wars in Central America are described and delineated thoroughly, in fact so thoroughly this aspect of the book got a bit boring for me, but I am sure it will prove fascinating reading for those more interested in military history, as the writer has a clean, crisp style. Previously, I had always understood Walker as a rabid pro-slavery expansionist just out to create a Dixie Empire, but now I appreciate he was not that pro-slavery at all for most of his life, and only adopted that stance as a political ploy to get more support for his control of Nicaragua as the 1850s went on. And reading all of Vanderbilt's Machiavellian ploys and international intrigues just to settle a business vendetta was captivating. Dando-Collins' account helps me see that the colonial presence of settlers from the United States and the mixing in the politics of Central America by American commercial interests was much greater in the 1850s than I had heretofore realized. I knew that we had meddled there, of course, but somehow I thought that had all really developed and expanded after the Civil War, as we became more concentrated on empire building.
Although he lost in the end, managed to get out and get back to the United States, and then returned twice more to try and restore himself to political power in Central America, in 1860 Walker was killed by a firing squad after capture in Honduras. He had lived a very full life and yet was only thirty-six years old when he died. Hatred and fear of him brought the different Central American state governments together briefly in the 1850s, and honoring those in resistance against him became powerful traditions in their developing national patriotic traditions and civil religions. But there were many in Nicaragua, both locals who accepted him and American enlistees who flocked to him, who supported Walker and the future vision he stood for while he was there, and he indicated he had no plan of annexing Nicaragua to the United States as some supposed, but rather of building a new empire in the tropics of Central America. He died as he had lived, a dashing romantic figure, a man whom Vanderbilt never broke though he destroyed him. In the epilogue, the author suggests that this well could be the reason why Vanderbilt chose Nashville as the home for the private university he would endow, in a late life action of very uncharacteristic philanthropy. In this way, Nashville, the home of William Walker, where he was loved and revered even after death, through the input of lots of money could be brought around to honoring the name of Vanderbilt even more after they were both long gone.
Cornelius Vanderbilt, the American millionaire who made his fortune in transportation (first steamers, then as the nineteenth century went on, in railroads) controlled that Nicaragua transit route, and when some business competitors hoodwinked him while he was off in Europe, and outmaneuvered the company control from him, Vanderbilt dedicated himself, as he always did in such cases, to getting even no matter what the cost or how long it took. Walker, newly coming to power in Nicaragua, made a deal with Vanderbilt's enemies in the best interest of the Nicaraguan government (and Walker's personal advancement). That decision triggered the conflict between these two larger-than-life men that was played out with the lives of thousands and the political futures of several Central American countries affected as a result.
This detailed history examines the struggles between the two men with precision. This historian has done his research well. The series of military campaigns and wars in Central America are described and delineated thoroughly, in fact so thoroughly this aspect of the book got a bit boring for me, but I am sure it will prove fascinating reading for those more interested in military history, as the writer has a clean, crisp style. Previously, I had always understood Walker as a rabid pro-slavery expansionist just out to create a Dixie Empire, but now I appreciate he was not that pro-slavery at all for most of his life, and only adopted that stance as a political ploy to get more support for his control of Nicaragua as the 1850s went on. And reading all of Vanderbilt's Machiavellian ploys and international intrigues just to settle a business vendetta was captivating. Dando-Collins' account helps me see that the colonial presence of settlers from the United States and the mixing in the politics of Central America by American commercial interests was much greater in the 1850s than I had heretofore realized. I knew that we had meddled there, of course, but somehow I thought that had all really developed and expanded after the Civil War, as we became more concentrated on empire building.
Although he lost in the end, managed to get out and get back to the United States, and then returned twice more to try and restore himself to political power in Central America, in 1860 Walker was killed by a firing squad after capture in Honduras. He had lived a very full life and yet was only thirty-six years old when he died. Hatred and fear of him brought the different Central American state governments together briefly in the 1850s, and honoring those in resistance against him became powerful traditions in their developing national patriotic traditions and civil religions. But there were many in Nicaragua, both locals who accepted him and American enlistees who flocked to him, who supported Walker and the future vision he stood for while he was there, and he indicated he had no plan of annexing Nicaragua to the United States as some supposed, but rather of building a new empire in the tropics of Central America. He died as he had lived, a dashing romantic figure, a man whom Vanderbilt never broke though he destroyed him. In the epilogue, the author suggests that this well could be the reason why Vanderbilt chose Nashville as the home for the private university he would endow, in a late life action of very uncharacteristic philanthropy. In this way, Nashville, the home of William Walker, where he was loved and revered even after death, through the input of lots of money could be brought around to honoring the name of Vanderbilt even more after they were both long gone.
August 17, 2017
I first heard of William Walker when I was in Nicaragua and remained curious about him. I picked this book up when we made plans to visit the Biltmore estate in Asheville, North Carolina - built actually by Cornelius' eldest son. I was familiar with the Vanderbilt and Rockefeller battles, but I never knew of any connection between Walker, Nicaragua and Vanderbilt. I enjoyed this book. It is well researched, non-partisan and an interesting subject matter. I think it helps the author is from Tasmania.
August 6, 2014
This piece of history seems so pointless in its objective. Although,I realize that most wars fought are in reality, incredibly pointless and self-serving. Decent read, however the writer did not capture my interest as much as I would have liked. There were definitely some exciting parts and history in general is fun to learn about...however this bit of history just pissed me off.
October 19, 2011
Once I put it down, I couldn't pick it back up. What should probably be a very interesting story isn't told very well, losing the reader's interest. It's all right for the account of Walker's unlikely early successes, but then bogs down once he and Vanderbilt are at odds.
January 1, 2023
Written in a fairly accessible narrative format, it suffers somewhat from being perhaps a tad overly-detailed. Dando-Collins nevertheless provides the preeminent history on this overlooked and little remembered piece of American-centric history. My own interest in the topic arose from a few paragraphs in James McPherson’s “Battle Cry of Freedom,” which mentioned the filibusterers and their antebellum attempts to expand an American slave empire into Central and South America and the Caribbean. From that standpoint, this book did at least provide more information and context for William Walker rescinding Nicaragua’s slavery ban, even if it wasn’t a primary focus of the book.
March 27, 2023
This book is very readable and responds with nuance to events and characters that are still remembered and discussed today. Still it's a classic history book -- the stories of men, guns, battles, and business. One note is an alternative first person history in the Costa Rican Reader that tells the story of Santamaría in a different light, makes him to be more of a hapless jerk, might dig that up and send it to the author. Having just visited San Jorge, Rivas, and Lake Nicaragua-- the modern Nicaragua does not live much in this past. However Costa Rica still very much does -- our schools are closed on April 11, the battle of Rivas!
August 6, 2017
Southern against Northerner in the decade leading up to the U.S. Civil War. Businessman against nation builder. And win at all costs against stand with your principles.
The book read like fiction and left me thirsting for the next twist. Highly recommend it for those who want to learn of the craziness of and haphazard look in both war and business.
As I read about Vanderbilt versus Walker, I got another lesson regarding the importance of priorities: if your goal is to win, sometimes need to consider aligning yourself with strange bedfellows.
The book read like fiction and left me thirsting for the next twist. Highly recommend it for those who want to learn of the craziness of and haphazard look in both war and business.
As I read about Vanderbilt versus Walker, I got another lesson regarding the importance of priorities: if your goal is to win, sometimes need to consider aligning yourself with strange bedfellows.
November 26, 2019
A fresh perspective on William Walker, less simplistic than history has left him, and a brilliantly descriptive tale of the turmoil of Nicaragua during that pivotal time when California and the States were trying to forge reliable bonds, and Americans viewed Central America as the ship-over states of the day.
July 21, 2024
Very interesting story about two ambitious men. I had never heard anything about this conflict but I’m glad I got to learn more about it. The wealth and education that these men possessed is honestly unreal and it was wild to read about how they went to war over a country that neither of them were from
February 16, 2023
Been on my shelf forever. Too many details about each battle. Interesting to learn the story but got bogged down with names of every soldier, ship, places. Setting was Central America so Spanish names for many places and persons which makes for difficult reading.
June 5, 2019
Fantastic story on a little-known chapter of American history. The descriptions of the characters are great and the narrative that the author creates easily draws you in.
December 11, 2020
very informative.
May 3, 2021
ehh bit of a stretch
February 5, 2025
Interesting enough to finish, but a slooooow read.
November 3, 2011
The ugly (only?) side of manifest destiny
I consider myself pretty well read and at least passably knowledgeable in American history, which is why I was surprised that I knew so little about William Walker. I first came across him in an odd little book called "Legendary Outlaws of the West" (Williams). A chapter discussed his early attempts to invade and claim Baja, Mexico. He was rebuffed by a notorious outlaw/rancher named Melendrez, who later was commissioned as a general in the army for helping defeat Walker and his men.
You'd think Walker would return to the U.S. humbled, but instead - driven by a unwavering commitment to manifest destiny (translation: it's our right to do whatever we want) he set his sights on Nicaragua, ultimately leading a successful invasion with a handful of filibusteros (based on the Dutch word for freebooter - pirate - and source of today's "filibuster"). His dreams of empire were in direct opposition, ultimately, with shipping magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt who wanted to control access across the country via Lake Nicaragua to profit from trips to the west coast of America (at the time, pre-railroad, boats were much faster than going overland and the profits were obscene.)
It was hard to know who to pull for in this war: a tough as nails mercenary who, after a series of victories, was elected president of Nicaragua, or the epitome of a capitalist successes, Vanderbilt, literally a self-made man able to devote millions to destabilizing Walker's regime in order to make more millions.
This is a great book, thoroughly researched - in fact, I started to lose track of the many battles and the many players strutting across the stage only to be executed against an adobe wall - and I highly recommend it. My favorite passage, near the end, was an inspired bit of sabotage that ultimately sealed Walker's defeat.
It really puts in stark light the mind set that possibly still shapes American idealism - that we have some moral obligation to reshape the world in our image. Sadly, the only force greater than manifest destiny appears to be capitalism and the desire to concentrate vast amounts of wealth by hook or by hook or, in this case, by arming soldiers and mercenaries and tempting them to invade other countries.
In Walker's own words, to his troops after his defeat, "You have written a page of American history which is impossible to forget or erase." Sadly, he appears all but forgotten in his own country though his dark legacy lives on in Central America.
I consider myself pretty well read and at least passably knowledgeable in American history, which is why I was surprised that I knew so little about William Walker. I first came across him in an odd little book called "Legendary Outlaws of the West" (Williams). A chapter discussed his early attempts to invade and claim Baja, Mexico. He was rebuffed by a notorious outlaw/rancher named Melendrez, who later was commissioned as a general in the army for helping defeat Walker and his men.
You'd think Walker would return to the U.S. humbled, but instead - driven by a unwavering commitment to manifest destiny (translation: it's our right to do whatever we want) he set his sights on Nicaragua, ultimately leading a successful invasion with a handful of filibusteros (based on the Dutch word for freebooter - pirate - and source of today's "filibuster"). His dreams of empire were in direct opposition, ultimately, with shipping magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt who wanted to control access across the country via Lake Nicaragua to profit from trips to the west coast of America (at the time, pre-railroad, boats were much faster than going overland and the profits were obscene.)
It was hard to know who to pull for in this war: a tough as nails mercenary who, after a series of victories, was elected president of Nicaragua, or the epitome of a capitalist successes, Vanderbilt, literally a self-made man able to devote millions to destabilizing Walker's regime in order to make more millions.
This is a great book, thoroughly researched - in fact, I started to lose track of the many battles and the many players strutting across the stage only to be executed against an adobe wall - and I highly recommend it. My favorite passage, near the end, was an inspired bit of sabotage that ultimately sealed Walker's defeat.
It really puts in stark light the mind set that possibly still shapes American idealism - that we have some moral obligation to reshape the world in our image. Sadly, the only force greater than manifest destiny appears to be capitalism and the desire to concentrate vast amounts of wealth by hook or by hook or, in this case, by arming soldiers and mercenaries and tempting them to invade other countries.
In Walker's own words, to his troops after his defeat, "You have written a page of American history which is impossible to forget or erase." Sadly, he appears all but forgotten in his own country though his dark legacy lives on in Central America.
September 15, 2015
From http://weeksnotice.blogspot.com/2015/...
Stephen Dando-Collins' book Tycoon's War chronicles William Walker's infamous effort to become president of Nicaragua and to colonize the country in the mid-1850s. What a miserable affair: I mean that effort, not the book, which flows well. We see 19th men in all their vainglory and extreme prejudices. Walker wanted glory over "uncivilized" people, Cornelius Vanderbilt (who helped defeat him) wanted unfettered access for his transit company across Nicaragua, soldiers of fortune wanted violent adventure and spoils, the American public wanted accounts of how superior they were to Central Americans, while Central Americans themselves mostly wanted to be left alone.
There's not much good to be said of anyone in the book. The Central American (and I refer to the region because it united briefly to drive Walker out) leaders themselves stabbed each other in the back constantly. It's telling that the end of the book describes all the executions that took place, including Walker's. It seems most of the protagonists soon ended up against a wall. Meanwhile, the bulk of Walker's soldiers ended up joining the Confederacy. Indeed, Walker had ended the ban on slavery in Nicaragua precisely to gain southern support.
Page after page shows the lives lost, sometimes in horrific ways (such as burning) for no real purpose at all. Filbusters came with bloodlust, taking enormous risks and dying (often of disease) for nothing. There was no way Walker would maintain any sort of government long-term. Even though he was self-proclaimed president, he had no government, no policies, no popular support, and no knowledge of governing. He was emphatically uninterested in Nicaraguans themselves.
In the U.S. we've forgotten the sordid story entirely. In Nicaragua, September 14 is San Jacinto Day and a national holiday because it remembers a key Nicaraguan victory against Walker's forces in 1856. The assault on sovereignty Walker represented means nothing to us, which is unfortunate. And all too common.
Stephen Dando-Collins' book Tycoon's War chronicles William Walker's infamous effort to become president of Nicaragua and to colonize the country in the mid-1850s. What a miserable affair: I mean that effort, not the book, which flows well. We see 19th men in all their vainglory and extreme prejudices. Walker wanted glory over "uncivilized" people, Cornelius Vanderbilt (who helped defeat him) wanted unfettered access for his transit company across Nicaragua, soldiers of fortune wanted violent adventure and spoils, the American public wanted accounts of how superior they were to Central Americans, while Central Americans themselves mostly wanted to be left alone.
There's not much good to be said of anyone in the book. The Central American (and I refer to the region because it united briefly to drive Walker out) leaders themselves stabbed each other in the back constantly. It's telling that the end of the book describes all the executions that took place, including Walker's. It seems most of the protagonists soon ended up against a wall. Meanwhile, the bulk of Walker's soldiers ended up joining the Confederacy. Indeed, Walker had ended the ban on slavery in Nicaragua precisely to gain southern support.
Page after page shows the lives lost, sometimes in horrific ways (such as burning) for no real purpose at all. Filbusters came with bloodlust, taking enormous risks and dying (often of disease) for nothing. There was no way Walker would maintain any sort of government long-term. Even though he was self-proclaimed president, he had no government, no policies, no popular support, and no knowledge of governing. He was emphatically uninterested in Nicaraguans themselves.
In the U.S. we've forgotten the sordid story entirely. In Nicaragua, September 14 is San Jacinto Day and a national holiday because it remembers a key Nicaraguan victory against Walker's forces in 1856. The assault on sovereignty Walker represented means nothing to us, which is unfortunate. And all too common.
December 28, 2016
I had no idea the story of a war could read like a thriller. I'm exaggerating, but only a little. This book was well-researched and very interesting. Stephen's conclusions at the end made a lot of sense.
People were so rebellious back in the 1850's. You really had to learn to get along, because they did not give a hoot about the "law" most of the time. And there wasn't law most of the time...
Cholera killed more people than the war.
Soldiers forced to fight are useless and generally flee as soon as the battle starts.
Vanderbilt destroyed Nicaragua for short-term revenge. If he hadn't done what he did, all of Latin American might very well be part of the US right now.
In the 1850's Nicaragua was very European, full of French, Germans, Americans, Brits, Irish.
"The name is only as great as the principle it represents."
Race was a convenient way to rally the Nicaraguans to fight a war, but it was just a play on the part of the Costa Rican president to annex a large chunk of Nicaragua.
No one fighting the war knows what they are really fighting for, just what they have been told.
Unfairly, Walker is remembered in Nicaragua like Hitler is remembered in Europe.
People were so rebellious back in the 1850's. You really had to learn to get along, because they did not give a hoot about the "law" most of the time. And there wasn't law most of the time...
Cholera killed more people than the war.
Soldiers forced to fight are useless and generally flee as soon as the battle starts.
Vanderbilt destroyed Nicaragua for short-term revenge. If he hadn't done what he did, all of Latin American might very well be part of the US right now.
In the 1850's Nicaragua was very European, full of French, Germans, Americans, Brits, Irish.
"The name is only as great as the principle it represents."
Race was a convenient way to rally the Nicaraguans to fight a war, but it was just a play on the part of the Costa Rican president to annex a large chunk of Nicaragua.
No one fighting the war knows what they are really fighting for, just what they have been told.
Unfairly, Walker is remembered in Nicaragua like Hitler is remembered in Europe.
March 27, 2011
"'Gentlemen, you have undertaken to cheat me. I won't sue you, for the law is too slow. I'll ruin you. Yours truly, Cornelius Vanderbilt.'" (Vanderbilt to Morgan and Garrison, 36)
"Just then, a horseman, Lieutenant Morgan, who was another aide to General Walker, galloped up. It was not secret that Walker opposed dueling among his officers -- it only robbed him of good men. 'Gentlemen,' called Lieutenant Morgan, 'General Walker's compliments, and he directs me to say that the duel may continue, but that the survivor will be shot.'" (191)
"After the war with Walker, the governments of Central America never again combined in a common cause." (332)
"Ask anyone in Central America, and most will not have heard of the Vanderbilts. But mention William Walker, and Central Americans will tell you all about the king of the filibusters. Throughout Central America today, Walker's name ranks with that of Hitler and Stalin." (335).
"Just then, a horseman, Lieutenant Morgan, who was another aide to General Walker, galloped up. It was not secret that Walker opposed dueling among his officers -- it only robbed him of good men. 'Gentlemen,' called Lieutenant Morgan, 'General Walker's compliments, and he directs me to say that the duel may continue, but that the survivor will be shot.'" (191)
"After the war with Walker, the governments of Central America never again combined in a common cause." (332)
"Ask anyone in Central America, and most will not have heard of the Vanderbilts. But mention William Walker, and Central Americans will tell you all about the king of the filibusters. Throughout Central America today, Walker's name ranks with that of Hitler and Stalin." (335).
June 26, 2013
Fascinating history of Tennessee-bred adventurer William Walker, who joined one side of a Nicaraguan Civil War, ending up as President of the Central American country. Interestingly, this circumvented the US Neutrality Act as, importantly, Walker crossed Cornelius Vanderbilt, whose ships then brought passengers from the East Coast to the West Coast via Nicaragua. Walker's ultimate defeat by Vanderbilt proxies not only ended in his ultimate execution, but pushed the steamer transfer business to Panama, where, history would find the great canal built. Nicaragua, of course, was the option viable canal route, since it came with significant interior waterways and the large Lake Nicaragua.
This book is very readable, with battles and key events written much in the style of a novel. Well worth reading.
This book is very readable, with battles and key events written much in the style of a novel. Well worth reading.
February 25, 2010
Fascinating read on the attempted take over of Central America by the american adventurer William Walker. If he had succeded the course of American history might have been different with the incorporation of the Central America into the United States. The degree with which Vanderbilt was able to use his money to influence American policy has direct correlations to todays struggles between the government and US corporations.
March 25, 2024
How many irrelevant names can you throw into a historical book? Stephen Dando Collins tried with all his might to break the record for names in a book that no one will remember, and were inconsequential to the overall outcome of the NicaraguaNo war. Interesting little slice of history, but I think could’ve been a Sunday article in the New York Times versus a 350 page book.
September 1, 2014
It's an incredible story, told in okay writing, but with too much detail. It's worth reading if you want to gain a full appreciation of the robber barons' hubris, vengeance, greed, arrogance, and sense of entitlement.
January 11, 2015
Very interesting. I guess if you have money you can fight your own wars. I knew Vanderbilt was ruthless when it came to making money but this shows him even more ruthless when it came to human relations also. Found myself rooting for the other guy as I read this.
January 30, 2016
A bit dull and plodding, but it gave me what I wanted: the complete saga of Walker and Vanderbilt, start-to-finish. Quite an amazing tale.
March 3, 2016
Great start. Gets a little slow and muddy in the middle. Fascinating back story on some of the history of Nicaragua.
January 2, 2017
This was the best book about William Walker and history I Nicaragua during this time that have read. I really enjoyed reading it.
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