Stephen Dando-Collins (Da Capo Press, $26)

Mention Cornelius Vanderbilt and people think tycoon and industrialist. They don't know much about his ruthless, stubborn dark side. Mention William Walker and you'll get, "Who?"

Walker, a doctor-turned-lawyer-turned-newspaper editor-turned-soldier of fortune, wanted to fulfill America's Manifest Destiny by conquering Central America. Vanderbilt fought Walker in a bloody war that cost thousands of American lives. It's a war of gun-barrel capitalism that few have heard of – until now.

At stake: Vanderbilt's empire. Had Walker succeeded, Vanderbilt's most profitable shipping company would have sunk and Vanderbilt would be close to personal bankruptcy.

The situation: Vanderbilt's company conveyed passengers and cargo from New York to and across Nicaragua and up the Pacific coast to California. He wanted to build a canal and a railroad across Nicaragua to cut the cost of overland travel. The U.S. government negotiated the Vanderbilt monopoly contract with Nicaragua.

Cementing Vanderbilt's position was the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty between the U.S. and Great Britain. The 1850 treaty affirmed the contract with Vanderbilt's firm.

Walker persuaded the Nicaraguan president to cancel the canal contract and shipping authorizations in 1853.

Thinking the Vanderbilt issue was under control, "General" Walker turned his attention to taking over Costa Rica. Big mistake. Vanderbilt financially backed Costa Rica against Walker. Ejected from Costa Rica, Walker tried to reassert himself in Nicaragua.

Walker surrendered to U.S. forces in Nicaragua and stood trial for treaty violations; he was exonerated. He continued his crusade to "colonize" Central America. In 1868, a Honduran firing squad executed William Walker.

Vanderbilt and his co-investors made capitalistic peace and divvied up the shipping lanes. Vanderbilt got the trans-Atlantic and Pacific lanes; his former enemies got the New York-to-Central America lanes.

In a final touch of irony, Vanderbilt founded Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., Walker's hometown.

The capstone comment about the war was provided by William Marcy, U.S. secretary of state: "To the victors belong the spoils of the enemy."

Stephen Dando-Collins did his homework in this tale of guns-trump-butter capitalism.

Jim Pawlak reviews business books for The Dallas Morning News.

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