Inventor. Born on the family plantation in Como, Hertford County, North Carolina. The son of a farmer and inventor, Gatling distinguished himself early in life as a successful inventor. At 21 he had invented the screw propeller for steamboats, only to discover that someone else had recently and independently patented it. He also invented a rice-sowing machine, a wheat drill, a hemp brake and a steam plow. Gatling graduated from Ohio Medical College in 1850, but never practiced medicine and was always more interested in continuing his career as an inventor. He is best known, however, as the inventor of the Gatling gun. In 1862 Gatling took out a patent for a mechanical gun that he had developed and founded the Gatling Gun Company in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Gatling gun consisted of six gun barrels mounted on a revolving frame, fastened in a parallel position to a central shaft. It was powered by a hand crank and cartridges were set into the breech through an arrangement called a hopper. A later version of the gun with ten barrels fired 320 rounds a minute. The United States Army purchased these guns in 1865 and a few saw action at the end of the Civil War. Over the next several years, most major armies in Europe purchased the gun. In 1870 Gatling opened a new factory in Hartford, Connecticut to produce the gun. He continued to improve the gun and by 1882 it could fire up to 1,200 rounds per minute. However, sales of the gun declined after Hiram Maxim began producing his automatic Maxim Machine Gun. The company merged with Colt Firearms Co. in 1897. The U.S. Army used the Gatling gun through the Spanish-American War, but declared it obsolete by 1911. Gatling died in New York City in 1903.
Inventor. Born on the family plantation in Como, Hertford County, North Carolina. The son of a farmer and inventor, Gatling distinguished himself early in life as a successful inventor. At 21 he had invented the screw propeller for steamboats, only to discover that someone else had recently and independently patented it. He also invented a rice-sowing machine, a wheat drill, a hemp brake and a steam plow. Gatling graduated from Ohio Medical College in 1850, but never practiced medicine and was always more interested in continuing his career as an inventor. He is best known, however, as the inventor of the Gatling gun. In 1862 Gatling took out a patent for a mechanical gun that he had developed and founded the Gatling Gun Company in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Gatling gun consisted of six gun barrels mounted on a revolving frame, fastened in a parallel position to a central shaft. It was powered by a hand crank and cartridges were set into the breech through an arrangement called a hopper. A later version of the gun with ten barrels fired 320 rounds a minute. The United States Army purchased these guns in 1865 and a few saw action at the end of the Civil War. Over the next several years, most major armies in Europe purchased the gun. In 1870 Gatling opened a new factory in Hartford, Connecticut to produce the gun. He continued to improve the gun and by 1882 it could fire up to 1,200 rounds per minute. However, sales of the gun declined after Hiram Maxim began producing his automatic Maxim Machine Gun. The company merged with Colt Firearms Co. in 1897. The U.S. Army used the Gatling gun through the Spanish-American War, but declared it obsolete by 1911. Gatling died in New York City in 1903.
Bio by: Craig Johnson
Inscription
THE HIGHEST HONORS THAT THE WORLD CAN BOAST
ARE SUBJECTS FAR TOO LOW FOR MY DESIRE.
THE BRIGHTEST BEAMS OF GLORY ARE AT MOST
INCOMPLETE COMPARED TO MY BELIEF
IN THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL.
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