Re: The railroad angle to the Civil War

John's jest was enjoyable, but of course the route for what was then called 'The Pacific railroad' was very much a political issue - the War Department, under Secretary of War Jefferson Davis sent out five survey parties in the 1850's. The 12 volume published reports came out just as the country came apart following the election of 1860.
To put the proper narrow gauge focus on this, one of the party leaders didn't survive to complete his report - Capt. John Gunnison was killed in an altercation with some of the Indians his party encountered. The river and town in Colorado that bear his name were important places on the narrow gauge.
Charlie