A unique chapter in the history of firearms, the multibarrel, hand-cranked Gatling gun was one of the first practical rapid-fire weapons ever to be used in battle. It changed warfare by introducing the capability to project deadly, high-intensity fire on the battlefield, and portended the devastation that automatic weapons would wreak in World War I. During its 50-year career, it saw widespread service with US, British, and other forces on a host of battlefields through conflicts in Zululand and the American West, to the Spanish-American War. Although it saw widespread use in the hands of industrialized nations against various groups of indigenous native warriors, it was famously left behind by Custer at the battle of the Little Bighorn, where some argue it could have made all the difference. Featuring full-colour artwork plus contemporary and close-up photographs, this engaging study investigates the origins, development, combat use, and lasting influence of the formidable Gatling gun.

Documents the life of the inventor of the Gatling gun--the first machine gun--and the impact of his invention on the expansion of the United States as a superpower and the international boom of the arms industry.

The Gatling Gun outlines the development of the Gatling gun from its inception during the Civil War to applications on a variety of modern combat systems. The Gatling gun concept has proven itself to be, in a very real sense, timeless. Future weapons systems will no doubt continue to apply the engineering elegance inherent to Dr. Gatling's design, assuring the survival of this most interesting weapon system.

This book contains copies of all Dr. Gatling's original Gatling Gun patent and patent drawings from the United States Patent Office. Also included are the patent drawings of the Broadwell Drum Feed, Bruce feed and Accles feed that was used on Colt Gatling Guns. Shortly after the outbreak of the American Civil War, Dr. Richard J. Gatling began work on his most famous invention. A prototype gun was made late in 1861 and was demonstrated in Indianapolis early in 1862. On November 4, 1862, Dr. Gatling received the first of his 10 patents for the famous gun that etched his name into history forever. The Gatling Gun was sometimes called by Dr. Gatling, Colt Firearms Company and the United States Patent Office as a battery gun, rotating battery gun, rotating cannon and machine gun. When the "modern" machine gun was made, it was referred to as an automated machine gun. These patent drawings provide a step back in time to view a technically advanced 19th century weapon that changed history.

Never before has a historically accurate novel telling of the day-to-day journey to the Little Big Horn featuring interesting characters been written, including the Gatling Gun Battery commander and his men. Custer takes his three Gatling Guns with him instead of leaving them at the Yellowstone River. The author, a retired Marine, came up with a plausible solution of how the heavy machine guns could have moved with the 7th Cavalry without slowing it down through rough terrain. The book has a "what if" flavor from beginning to the dramatic ending that any history buff will enjoy. A rip-roaring tale of the 1870's. About the Author: Donald F. Myers was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1952 at age seventeen he enlisted in the U. S. Marine Corps. He retired from the Corps on 30 April 1973. Myers is Indiana's most decorated living Marine veteran. A recipient of two Silver Star medals for conspicuous gallantry, two Bronze Star medals for heroic achievement, five Purple Heart medals for combat wounds, Navy/Marine Corps Commendation medal for heroic achievement, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with palm, and Vietnam Medal of Military Merit are among his 32 awards. The U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employed Myers after he was medically retired from the Corps. In 1990, he retired from the VA as a senior counselor. Myers also spent over 20 years with the Indiana Guard Reserve retiring from that military organization as a full colonel. He has authored six books. A father of two sons and three daughters Myers resides with his wife Dorothy in Franklin Township, a suburb on the southeast side of Indianapolis.

It necessitated a technological response: first the armored tank, then the jet fighter, and, perhaps ultimately, the hydrogen bomb.