In the Civil War, the Union's victory over the Confederacy was largely due in part to the superior Northern railroads, which kept the military stocked with supplies. As a result, the United States realized the great value of a transcontinental railroad and pushed to connect the east with the west. Author R. Conrad Stein tells the stories of those who, whether motivated by money and greed or by idealism and dedication to a lofty goal, played a part in creating a railroad that would unite a country

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