11/30/09

1861-The Gatling gun (1861) is one of the most well known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner to the modern machine gun. Its first combat usage, and the battlefield role it is most well-known for, was its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s. Later it was also famously used in the assault on San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War.^[1]
1865-In Jan. 1865 Gatling's improved Model 1865 gun was tested by the Ordnance Department. Among other things, this weapon used rimfire copper-cased cartridges instead of the steel-chambered paper variety. Though this model did not see service, it was adopted officially in 1866. Having at last received government approval, Gatling began to sell his guns throughout the world; they achieved lasting fame in the post-war years.
1877-In 1877, Gatling lived in Hartford, Connecticut next door to Mrs. Colt, widow of the late Samuel Colt at whose factory the Gatling Gun Company now contracted the manufacture of their guns. Mrs. Colts little niece, Elizabeth Jarvis, was a frequent visitor to the Gatling's hospitable residence, and Gatling explained to her his beliefs at the time he developed the guns