In this innovative book Kyle Sinisi explores a little known chapter in the history of American politicsGthe struggle between states and the federal government over the costs of fighting the Civil War At stake was the disposition of some 8 million Focusing on Kansas Kentucky and Missouri Sinisi explores the process by which states were reimbursed by Washington in the most expensive intergovernmental contact of the 19th century Recasting our understanding of governance he shows that traditional sources of influenceGcourts and political partiesGwere less important in settling claims than adjutants general and private agents who fought for cash bonanzas These power brokers helped shape the federal bureaucracyGand the process of state building