Gatling Gun

I just finished reading the book Mr. Gatling's Terrible Marvel by Julia Keller. It's not so much a nuts and bolts about the Gatling gun but more a biography of Gatling and his place in history. Richard J. Gatling was quite the inventor and tinkerer as was not too untypical in the mid to late 1800s. He first became involved in the manufacture of farm machinery and developed his gun just in time for the Civil War. He was of the opinion that the efficiency of his gun would actually result in fewer deaths and bring about a quicker resolution to the war. Unfortunately, he neglected to factor in the reluctance of the military to adopt more efficient weapons.

The army was of the opinion that a machine gun was just not sporting. Even though artillery fire was being used, the only honorable way to kill one another was to engage the enemy mano y mano, preferably, with sabers drawn. Eventually the demand was great enough that the Gatling gun was produced by the Colt factory, thanks to the Industrial Revolution and the American System of interchangeable parts. It was offered in several calibers including those with enough giddy-up to make it effective at ranges up to two miles. The design is still being used and the military has a new version capable of firing 50 rounds per second.

The book is very well researched and an easy read. It goes into the historical importance of arms development and some interesting Indiana history. Gatling is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, by the way. If you're a gun nut you might be a little disappointed with the lack of technical details but if you're at all interested in the Industrial Revolution or military history, I suggest you give it a read.