Cornelius Vanderbilt encouraged people to short his stock.

In July of 1863 a group of corrupt New York City councilmen organized a “bear raid” on the Harlem Railroad which Vanderbilt owned 10 percent of.

They voted against allowing the Harlem to run upstate on Broadway, and secretly shorted the stock, crashing the price from 83 to 72 in a single day.

What they didn’t know was that Vanderbilt was buying at the bottom and that he was the one lending the shares.

Despite a confederate victory, the shares started rising. Nobody could cover their shorts.

When all was said and done Vanderbilt completely controlled the Harlem and had doubled his net worth.

On July 3, the Union won Gettysburg. The Harlem would become the cornerstone of Vanderbilt’s railroad empire.

Don’t bet against Vanderbilt.

Don’t bet against Saylor.

🧡👊🏻🍻

(From the book: Six Tycoons: The Lives of John Astor, Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Rockefeller, Henry Ford, Kennedy)