View source for Gatling gun

{{Short description|1860s multi-barrel rapid-fire gun}}
{{Redirect|Gatling}}
{{For|the film|Gatling Gun (film){{!}}''Gatling Gun'' (film)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name               = Gatling gun
| image              = File:Gatling gun.jpg
| caption            = 1876 Gatling gun kept at [[Fort Laramie National Historic Site]]
| type               = Rapid-fire gun, hand-cranked [[machine gun]]
| origin             = [[United States]]
<!-- Service History -->| service            = 1862–1911
| used_by            = See ''[[#Users|Users]]''
| wars               = [[American Civil War]]<br />[[Boshin War]]<br />[[Indian Wars]]<br />[[Franco-Prussian War]]<ref>Smithurst, Peter, The Gatling Gun: Osprey Publishing (2015)</ref><br />[[Anglo-Ashanti War]]<br />[[Ethiopian-Egyptian War]]<br />[[Haw Wars]]<br />[[Satsuma Rebellion]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.thoughtco.com/the-satsuma-rebellion-195570 | title=How the Samurai Ended During the Satsuma Rebellion}}</ref><br />[[Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878)]]<br />[[Second Anglo-Afghan War]]<br />[[Anglo-Zulu War]]<br />[[War of the Pacific]]<br />[[Argentine Civil Wars]]<br />[[Russian conquest of Central Asia]]<br />[[Kiriji War]]<br />[[Mahdist War]]<br />[[Anglo-Egyptian War]]<br />[[Colombian Civil War (1884–1885)|Colombian Civil War of 1884-1885]]<ref>{{cite book|last= Sicard |first= Pedro |title= Páginas para la historia militar de Colombia: Guerra civil de 1885 |url= https://studylib.es/doc/5567992/p%C3%A1ginas-para-la-historia-militar-de-colombia |year= 1925 |publisher= Press of the E.M.G. |location= Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango |pages= 119 }}</ref><br />[[Northwest Rebellion]]<br />[[Italo-Ethiopian War of 1887-1889]]<ref>Finaldi, Giuseppe, "A History of Italian Colonialism, 1860–1907: Europe’s Last Empire"(2016)</ref><br />[[Revolution of the Park]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.zona-militar.com/foros/threads/las-gatling-en-el-ejercito-y-armada-argentina.33840/ | title=Las Gatling en el Ejercito y Armada Argentina | date=December 8, 2017 }}</ref><br />[[Argentine Revolution of 1893]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.efemeridesradicales.com.ar/indice/R/Revolucion_Radical_de_1893/Revolucion_Radical_de_1893.html| title=Revolucion Radical de 1893}}</ref><br />[[Revolta da Armada]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.armasbrasil.com/SecXIX/declinio/ArmasFogo/Mtr_gatling.htm | title=ArmasBrasil - Metraladora Gatling }}</ref><br />[[First Sino-Japanese War]]<ref name="SinoJapaneseWar">{{Cite book |last=Esposito |first=Gabriele |title=Armies of the first Sino-Japanese War 1894-95 |date=2022 |others=Giuseppe Rava |isbn=978-1-4728-5130-7 |location=Oxford |oclc=1350351894}}</ref><br />[[Second Matabele War]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.samilitaryhistory.org/vol162ic.html | title=THE ORDNANCE AND MACHINE GUNS OF THE BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY 1889 - 1896 Part One: 1889-1891 }}</ref><br />[[Spanish–American War]]<br />[[Philippine–American War]]<br />[[Boxer Rebellion]]<br />[[Colorado Labor Wars]]<br />[[Russo-Japanese War]] (limited)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.historicalfirearms.info/post/108355102849/the-gatling-gun-invented-by-dr-richard-gatling-in/amp | title=Historical Firearms- The Gatling Gun}}</ref><ref>Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, "Anti-personnel Weapons"(2021)</ref><br />[[History of Honduras#The rise of US influence in Honduras (1899–1919)|1907 Honduran Conflict]]<br />[[Mexican Revolution]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://truewestmagazine.com/article/guns-of-mexicos-freedom-fighters/ | title=Guns of Mexico's Freedom Fighters}}</ref><br />[[Battle of Blair Mountain]]
<!-- Production History -->| designer           = [[Richard Jordan Gatling]]
| design_date        = 1861
| manufacturer       = Eagle Iron Works<br />Cooper Firearms Manufacturing Company<br />[[Colt Manufacturing Company]]<br />American Ordnance Company
| unit_cost          = 
| production_date    = 1862–1903
<!-- General specifications -->| weight             = {{convert|77.2|kg|abbr=on|order=flip}}<ref>Weight listed for Colt's Model 1877 10-barrel gun, w/o carriage or mount.</ref>
| length             = {{convert|1079|mm|abbr=on|order=flip}}
| part_length        = {{convert|673|mm|abbr=on|order=flip}}
| barrels            = 6–10
| width              = 
| height             = 
| crew               = 4
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->| cartridge          = [[.30-40 Krag]]<br />[[.45-70 Government]]<br />[[.30-06 Springfield]]<br />[[.43 Spanish]]<br />[[11x60mm Mauser]]
| caliber            = .308 inches (7.8 mm)
| action             = Crank handle
| rate               = 200 rounds per minute in .58 caliber, 400-900 rounds per minute in .30 caliber<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.com/topics/gatling-gun|title=Gatling Gun – Facts & Summary | website = history.com|date=March 4, 2010 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224213315/http://www.history.com/topics/gatling-gun|archive-date=2016-02-24}}</ref><ref name="Parker, John H. 2006"/>
| velocity           = 
| range              = 
| max_range          = 
| feed               = 
| sights             = 
}}
[[File:Mitrailleuse Gatling APX1895 Paris FRA 001.jpg|thumb|250px|Mitrailleuse Gatling modèle APX 1895]]

The '''Gatling gun''' is a rapid-firing [[multiple-barrel firearm]] invented in 1861 by [[Richard Jordan Gatling]] of [[North Carolina]]. It is an early [[machine gun]] and a forerunner of the modern [[electric motor]]-driven [[rotary cannon]].

The Gatling gun's operation centered on a cyclic multi-barrel design which facilitated cooling and synchronized the firing-reloading sequence. As the handwheel is cranked, the barrels rotate, and each barrel sequentially loads a single [[cartridge (firearms)|cartridge]] from a top-mounted [[magazine (firearms)|magazine]], fires off the shot when it reaches a set position (usually at [[clock position|4 o'clock]]), then ejects the spent casing out of the left side at the bottom, after which the barrel is empty and allowed to cool until rotated back to the top position and gravity-fed another new round. This configuration eliminated the need for a single [[reciprocating motion|reciprocating]] [[bolt (firearms)|bolt]] design and allowed higher rates of fire to be achieved without the barrels overheating quickly.

One of the best-known early rapid-fire [[firearm]]s, the Gatling gun saw occasional use by the [[Union Army]] during the [[American Civil War]], which was the first time it was employed in combat. It was later used in numerous military conflicts, including the [[Boshin War]], the [[Anglo-Zulu War]], and the assault on [[Battle of San Juan Hill|San Juan Hill]] during the [[Spanish–American War]].<ref name="enc-sjh">{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O126-SanJuanHillBattleof.html|title=San Juan Hill, Battle of|first=John W. (II)|last=Chambers|work=The Oxford Companion to American Military History|year=2000|access-date=2009-11-24|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091126021542/http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O126-SanJuanHillBattleof.html|archive-date=2009-11-26}}</ref> It was also used by the Pennsylvania militia in episodes of the [[Great Railroad Strike]] of 1877, specifically in [[Pittsburgh]]. Gatling guns were also mounted aboard ships.<ref>[https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-57000/NH-57130.html 1884 Picture of Gatling Gun on board 1875 US warship "Alliance"]</ref>

== Design ==
[[file: Gatling gun 1865.jpg|thumb|A British 1865 Gatling gun at [[Firepower – The Royal Artillery Museum]]]]
The Gatling gun is operated by a hand-crank mechanism, with six barrels revolving around a central shaft (although some models had as many as ten). Each barrel fires once per revolution at about the same position. The barrels, a carrier, and a lock cylinder were separate and all mounted on a solid plate revolving around a central shaft, mounted on an oblong fixed frame. Turning the crank rotated the shaft. The carrier was grooved and the lock cylinder was drilled with holes corresponding to the barrels.

The casing was partitioned, and through this opening, the barrel shaft was [[journal (mechanical device)|journaled]]. In front of the casing was a [[Cam (mechanism)|cam]] with spiral surfaces. The cam imparted a reciprocating motion to the locks when the gun rotated. Also in the casing was a cocking ring with projections to cock and fire the gun. Each barrel had a single lock, working in the lock cylinder on a line with the barrel. The lock cylinder was encased and joined to the frame. Early models had a fibrous matting stuffed in among the barrels, which could be soaked with water to cool the barrels down. Later models eliminated the matting jacketing as being unnecessary.

Cartridges, held in a hopper, dropped individually into the grooves of the carrier. The lock was simultaneously forced by the cam to move forward and load the cartridge, and when the cam was at its highest point, the cocking ring freed the lock and fired the cartridge. After the cartridge was fired the continuing action of the cam drew back the lock bringing with it the spent casing which then dropped to the ground.

The grouped barrel concept had been explored by inventors since the 18th century, but poor engineering and the lack of a [[Cartridge (weaponry)|unitary cartridge]] made previous designs unsuccessful. The initial Gatling gun design used self-contained, reloadable steel cylinders with a chamber holding a ball and black-powder charge, and a [[percussion cap]] on one end. As the barrels rotated, these steel cylinders dropped into place, were fired, and were then ejected from the gun. The innovative features of the Gatling gun were its independent firing mechanism for each barrel and the simultaneous action of the locks, barrels, carrier, and [[breech-loading weapon|breech]].

The ammunition that Gatling eventually implemented was a [[paper cartridge]] charged with black powder and primed with a percussion cap because self-contained brass cartridges were not yet fully developed and available. The shells were gravity-fed into the breech through a hopper or simple box "magazine" with an unsprung gravity follower on top of the gun. Each barrel had its own firing mechanism.

Despite self-contained brass cartridges replacing the paper cartridge in the 1860s, it was only in the Model 1881 that Gatling switched to the 'Bruce'-style feed system (U.S. Patents 247,158 and 343,532) which accepted two rows of [[.45-70]] cartridges. While one row was being fed into the gun, the other could be reloaded, thus allowing sustained fire. The final gun required four operators. By 1886, the gun was capable of firing more than 400 rounds per minute.

The smallest-caliber gun also had a Broadwell drum feed in place of the curved box of the other guns. The drum, named after [[Lewis Wells Broadwell|L. W. Broadwell]], an agent for Gatling's company, comprised twenty stacks of rounds arranged around a central axis, like the spokes of a wheel, each holding twenty cartridges with the bullet noses oriented toward the central axis. This invention was patented in U. S. 110,338. As each stack emptied, the drum was manually rotated to bring a new stack into use until all 400 rounds had been fired. A more common variant had 240 rounds in twenty stands of fifteen.

By 1893, the Gatling was adapted to take the new [[.30-40 Krag|.30 Army]] smokeless cartridge. The new M1893 guns featured six barrels, later increased to ten barrels, and were capable of a maximum (initial) rate of fire of 800–900 rounds per minute, though 600 rpm was recommended for continuous fire.<ref name="Parker, John H. 2006"/><ref>U.S. Ordnance Dept., ''Handbook of the Gatling Gun, Caliber .30 Models of 1895, 1900, and 1903'', Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, (1905) p. 21</ref> Dr. Gatling later used examples of the M1893 powered by electric motor and belt to drive the crank.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/2433/eleckeygatling.jpg |title=Archived copy |access-date=2010-09-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725152641/http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/2433/eleckeygatling.jpg |archive-date=2011-07-25 }}</ref> Tests demonstrated the electric Gatling could fire bursts of up to 1,500&nbsp;rpm.

The M1893, with minor revisions, became the M1895, and 94 guns were produced for the U.S. Army by Colt. Four M1895 Gatlings under Lieutenant [[John Henry Parker (general)|John H. Parker]] saw considerable combat during the Santiago campaign in Cuba in 1898. The M1895 was designed to accept only the Bruce feeder. All previous models were unpainted, but the M1895 was painted olive drab green, with some parts left [[Bluing (steel)|blued]].

Model 1900 was very similar to Model 1895 but with only a few components finished in O.D. green. The U.S. Army purchased several M1900s. All Gatling Models 1895-1903 could be mounted on an armored field carriage. In 1903, the Army converted its M1900 guns into .30 Army to fit the new [[.30-03]] cartridge (standardized for the M1903 Springfield rifle) as the M1903. The later M1903-'06 was an M1903 converted to [[.30-06 Springfield|.30-06]]. This conversion was principally carried out at the Army's Springfield Armory arsenal repair shops. All models of Gatling guns were declared obsolete by the U.S. military in 1911, after 45 years of service.<ref>Wahl and Toppel, 1971, p. 155</ref>

The original Gatling gun was a field weapon that used multiple rotating barrels turned by a hand [[Crankshaft|crank]], and firing loose (no links or belt) metal cartridge ammunition using a [[gravity feed]] system from a hopper. The Gatling gun's innovation lay in the use of multiple barrels to limit overheating, a rotating mechanism, and a gravity-feed reloading system, which allowed unskilled operators to achieve a relatively high rate of fire of 200 rounds per minute.<ref name=Greeley1872/>

Although the first Gatling gun was capable of firing continuously, it required a person to crank it and so it was not a true [[automatic weapon]]. The [[Maxim gun]], invented and patented in 1883, was the first true fully-automatic weapon making use of the fired projectile's recoil force to reload the weapon. Nonetheless, the Gatling gun represented a huge leap in [[firearm]] technology.

Before the Gatling gun, the only weapons available to military forces that could fire many projectiles in a short period of time were mass-firing [[volley gun|volley weapons]], like the Belgian and French [[mitrailleuse]] of the 1860s and 1870s, and field [[cannon]]s firing [[canister shot]], much like an upsized [[shotgun]]. The latter was widely used during and after the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. Although the maximum [[rate of fire]] was increased by firing multiple projectiles simultaneously, those weapons still needed to be reloaded after each discharge, which for multi-barrel systems like the ''mitrailleuse'' was cumbersome and time-consuming. That negated much of the advantage of their high rate of fire per discharge by making them much less powerful on the battlefield. In comparison, the Gatling gun offered a rapid and continuous rate of fire without having to be manually reloaded by opening the breech.

Early multi-barrel guns were approximately the size and weight of [[artillery]] pieces and were often perceived as a replacement for cannons firing [[grapeshot]] or canister shot.<ref name=" proceedings"/> Compared with earlier weapons such as the ''mitrailleuse,'' which required manual reloading, the Gatling gun was more reliable and easier to operate and had a lower, but continuous rate of fire. The large wheels required to move these guns around required a high firing position, which increased the vulnerability of their crews.<ref name="proceedings"/>

Sustained firing of [[black powder]] cartridges generated a cloud of smoke, making concealment impossible until [[smokeless powder]] became available in the late 19th century.<ref name="p2">Emmott, N.W. "The Devil's Watering Pot" ''United States Naval Institute Proceedings'' September 1972 p. 72.</ref> When operators were firing Gatling guns against troops of industrialized nations, they were at risk, being vulnerable to artillery they could not reach and [[sniper]]s they could not see.<ref name=" proceedings"/>

== History ==
[[file:GatlingGunDrawing.jpg|thumb|[[Patent drawing]] for R. J. Gatling's "battery gun", 9 May 1865]]
The Gatling gun was designed by the American inventor [[Richard Jordan Gatling|Richard J. Gatling]] in 1861 and patented on November 4, 1862.<ref>Richard J. Gatling, [http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00036836&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect1%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526d%3DPALL%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%25252Fnetahtml%25252FPTO%25252Fsrchnum.htm%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526s1%3D0036836.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F0036836%2526RS%3DPN%2F0036836&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page "Improvement in revolving battery-guns,"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170120053800/http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00036836&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect1%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526d%3DPALL%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%25252Fnetahtml%25252FPTO%25252Fsrchnum.htm%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526s1%3D0036836.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F0036836%2526RS%3DPN%2F0036836&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page |date=2017-01-20 }} U.S. Patent No. 36,386 (issued: Nov. 4, 1862).</ref><ref name=Greeley1872>{{cite book |title=The Great Industries of the United States |last=Greeley |first=Horace |author-link=Horace Greeley |author2=Leon Case |year=1872 |publisher=J.B. Burr & Hyde |isbn=978-1-85506-627-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/greatindustrieso00greeuoft/page/944 944] |url=https://archive.org/details/greatindustrieso00greeuoft }}</ref> Gatling wrote that he created it to reduce the size of armies and so reduce the number of deaths by combat and disease.<ref>Paul Wahl and Don Toppel, ''The Gatling Gun'', Arco Publishing, 1971, p. 12.</ref>

=== United States and South America ===
The US Army adopted Gatling guns in several calibers, including .42 caliber, [[.45-70]], .50 caliber, 1 inch, and (M1893 and later) [[.30 Army]], with conversions of M1900 weapons to [[.30-03]] and [[.30-06]].<ref>Paul Wahl and Don Toppel, ''The Gatling Gun'', Arco Publishing, 1971, p. 155.</ref><ref>Randolph, Captain W. S., 5th US Artillery [http://www.allworldwars.com/Gatling-Guns-Service-and-Description-1878.html ''Service and Description of Gatling Guns, 1878''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131225717/http://www.allworldwars.com/Gatling-Guns-Service-and-Description-1878.html |date=2016-01-31 }}</ref> The .45-70 weapon was also mounted on some [[US Navy]] ships of the 1880s and 1890s.<ref>{{cite book |last=Friedman| first=Norman |author-link= Norman Friedman |title=U.S. Cruisers: An Illustrated Design History | pages = 457–463 |publisher=[[United States Naval Institute]] | year=1984 | location=[[Annapolis, Maryland]] | isbn=978-0-87021-718-0}}</ref>

The British manufacturer James George Accles, previously employed by Colt 1867–1886, developed a modified Gatling gun circa 1888 known as the Accles Machine Gun.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.accles-shelvoke.com/company/about-accles-shelvoke/history|title=History|website=www.accles-shelvoke.com}}</ref> Circa 1895, the [[American Ordnance Company]] acquired the rights to manufacture and distribute this weapon in the Americas. It was trialed by the US Navy in December 1895, and was said to be the only weapon to complete the trial out of five competing weapons, but was apparently not adopted by US forces.<ref>{{cite book | last = American Ordnance Company | title = The Driggs-Schroeder System of rapid-fire guns, 2nd edition | publisher = The Deutsch Lithographing and Printing Company | year = 1896 | location = Baltimore, MD | pages = Preface, 76 | url = https://archive.org/details/driggsschroeders00amer/page/n10 }}</ref>

The Gatling gun was first used in warfare during the [[American Civil War]]. Twelve of the guns were purchased personally by Union commanders and used in the trenches during the [[Siege of Petersburg|Siege of Petersburg, Virginia]] (June 1864—April 1865).<ref>'' Civil War Weapons And Equipment'' by Russ A. Pritchard Jnr.</ref> Eight other Gatling guns were fitted on gunboats.<ref name="civilwarhome">{{cite web|url=http://www.civilwarhome.com/gatlinggun.htm|title=The Gatling Gun In The Civil War|publisher=civilwarhome.com|access-date=2015-11-03|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025112639/http://civilwarhome.com/gatlinggun.htm|archive-date=2015-10-25}}</ref> The gun was not accepted by the American Army until 1866 when a sales representative of the manufacturing company demonstrated it in combat.<ref name="proceedings">Emmott, N.W. "The Devil's Watering Pot" ''[[United States Naval Institute]] Proceedings'' September 1972 p. 70.</ref>

On July 17, 1863, Gatling guns were purportedly used to overawe [[New York City draft riots|New York anti-draft rioters]].<ref>Julia Keller, ''Mr. Gatling's Terrible Marvel'' (2008), p. 168-170</ref> Two were brought by a [[Pennsylvania National Guard]] unit from [[Philadelphia]] to use against strikers in [[Pittsburgh Railway Riots|Pittsburgh]].

Gatling guns were famously ''not'' used at the [[Battle of the Little Bighorn]], also known as "Custer's Last Stand," when General [[George Armstrong Custer]] chose not to bring Gatling guns with his main force.

[[File:Museo histórico provincial de Rosario (cañón).jpg|thumb|]]

In April 1867, a Gatling gun was purchased for the [[Argentine Army]] by Interior Minister [[Domingo Faustino Sarmiento|Domingo F. Sarmiento]] under instructions from President [[Bartolomé Mitre]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1PTZaud0ekcC|title=Conflict in the Southern Cone: The Argentine Military and the Boundary Dispute with Chile, 1870-1902|first=George v|last=Rauch|date=1 January 1999|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-96347-7}}</ref>

Captain [[Luis Germán Astete]] of the [[Peruvian Navy]] took with him dozens of Gatling guns from the United States to Peru in December 1879 during the Peru-Chile [[War of the Pacific]]. Gatling guns were used by the Peruvian Navy and Army, especially in the [[Battle of Tacna]] (May 1880) and the [[Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos|Battle of San Juan]] (January 1881) against the invading Chilean Army.

In 1888, the ''SS Ozama'' smuggled a number of Gatling guns into Haiti<ref>''Bridgeport Morning News'', (Bridgeport, Connecticut), Volume 19, #155, December 29, 1888, p. 1, c. 3</ref>

In 1907, Gatling guns were used by Nicaragua in the battle of Namasique, largely manned by American mercenaries<ref name=":0" />

Gatling guns were kept in store by coal companies and used during the [[Battle of Blair Mountain]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=100 years since the Battle of Blair Mountain |url=https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/09/10/bmtn-s10.html |access-date=2022-12-04 |website=World Socialist Web Site |date=September 10, 2021 |language=en}}</ref> On September 1, a group of miners looted one of these guns and assaulted a spot called Craddock Fork. Opposing forces fought back with a machine gun, but after three hours of heavy fire, their weapon jammed. The miners surged forward and briefly broke the defensive line, but were repulsed by another machine gun nest located further up the ridge.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andrews |first=Evan |title=The Battle of Blair Mountain |url=https://www.history.com/news/americas-largest-labor-uprising-the-battle-of-blair-mountain |access-date=2022-12-04 |website=HISTORY |date=September 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Russia ===

According to Ellis, the Russians were amongst the first to realize the potential of machine guns, testing two Gatlings in 1865 and promptly ordering twenty for the [[Imperial Russian Army]], eventually obtaining a license to build them locally. By 1876, the Russians had 400 Gatlings organized in eight batteries; While McNab stated that the Russians were introduced to the Gatling in 1871, when  Colonel Aleksandr Pavlovich Gorloff was given a demonstration, and impressed by what he saw, ordered 400 Gatlings for the Imperial Army. Both accounts agree that these guns, known in Russia as the ''Gorloffs'' first saw action during the [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)]],<ref name="Ellis">{{cite book |last1=Ellis |first1=John |title=The Social History of the Machine Gun |date=1986 |publisher=JHU Press |isbn=978-0-8018-3358-8 |page=66 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rra0AAVCAesC |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=McNab |first1=Chris |title=Soviet Machine Guns of World War II |date=2022 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |location=Oxford |isbn=978-1-4728-4237-4 |edition=ePDF |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8-1FEAAAQBAJ |page=4 |language=en}}</ref> where they were effectively used at the [[Battle of Nikopol]] and the [[Siege of Plevna]]. The ''Gorloff'' gun was also used during the [[Russian conquest of Central Asia]] to repel [[Turkmens|Turkmen]] cavalry charges.<ref name="Ellis" />

=== Africa and Asia ===
[[File: Gatling Guns in Action WDL11499 (cropped).png|thumb|left|Two [[British Army]] Gatling guns from the [[Second Anglo-Afghan War]]]]
The Gatling gun was used most successfully to expand European colonial empires by defeating indigenous warriors mounting massed attacks, including the [[Zulu people|Zulu]], the [[Bedouin]], and the [[Mahdist War|Mahdists]].<ref name=" proceedings"/> The [[British Army]] first deployed the Gatling gun in 1873-74 during the [[Anglo-Ashanti wars]], and extensively during the last actions of the 1879 [[Anglo-Zulu war]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Laband |first1=John |author-link=John Laband|title=Historical Dictionary of the Zulu Wars |date=2009 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |location=Maryland, USA |isbn=978-0-8108-6078-0 |page=102 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pnf1BC_XORoC&pg=PA102}}</ref> The [[Royal Navy]] used Gatling guns during the 1882 [[Anglo-Egyptian War]].<ref name="p2"/>

Gatling guns were used by [[Khedivate of Egypt|Egyptian]] forces both on sea and land and saw combat in Sudan and Abyssinia. [[Isma'il Pasha]] ordered 120 Colt 1865 six-barrel Gatling guns; after being convinced by Shahine Pasha who witnessed Gatling gun trials at Shoeburyness in 1866. In 1872 a few <nowiki>''</nowiki>camel<nowiki>''</nowiki> guns were purchased, these were smaller and used a tripod instead of the carriage. During the [[Siege of Khartoum]] an Egyptian Gatling gun aided by a telescope was able to target Sudanese artillery crews from a distance of 2,000 yards.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dunn |first=John P. |title=Khedive Ismail's army |date=2012 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-64595-9 |location=London |oclc=808492529}}</ref>

Gatling guns were imported by some states in Nigeria. They were used during the Kalabari Civil war of 1879–83,<ref name="Nigeria2" /> the Abbi House bought one from King Jaja of Opobo and it may have been used in canoe warfare.<ref name=Nigeria1 /> The Ijesha used a Gatling gun against the Ibadan during the early 1880s.<ref name=Nigeria2 /> In 1882 the Bonny used a Gatling gun during an attack on New Calabar.<ref name=Nigeria3 />

By 1880, [[Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782–1932)|Siam]] had imported an unknown number of Gatlings. By 1885 the kingdom had a Gatling Gun regiment of 600 men; those weapons were possibly used in the [[Haw wars|Haw Wars]]. They were also seen among Prince Bigit's escort in 1886.<ref>{{cite book |last=Heath |first=Ian |title=Armies of the Nineteenth Century: Burma and Indo-China |publisher=Foundry Books |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-90154-306-3 |pages=155 |orig-year=1998}}</ref>

The [[Korean Empire]] possessed a number of Gatlings. Six had been imported in 1884, by 1891 it had a battery of fourteen guns and in 1894 the army's two American drilled regiments had as many as 40 Gatlings and practiced regularly (Supposedly because the noise pleased [[Gojong of Korea|Emperor Gojong]]). Some of them were deployed to defend the approaches of the capital during the [[Donghak Peasant Revolution|Donghak Rebellion]], but there is no evidence they saw combat.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Heath |first=Ian |title=Armies of the nineteenth century. Asia : organisation, warfare, dress, and weapons |year=1998 |publisher=Foundry Books |isbn=1-901543-01-3 |location=St. Peter Port, Guernsey |oclc=50089869}}</ref>

=== British North America ===
Lieutenant [[Arthur L. Howard]] of the [[Connecticut National Guard]] had an interest in the company manufacturing Gatling guns and took a personally owned Gatling gun to the [[District of Saskatchewan]], Canada, in 1885 for use with the Canadian military against [[Métis people (Canada)|Métis]] and [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] rebels during [[Louis Riel]]'s [[North-West Rebellion]].<ref name=" proceedings"/>{{better source needed|date=November 2024}}

=== Spanish–American War ===
{{Further|Spanish–American War}}
Because of infighting within army ordnance, Gatling guns were used by the U.S. Army during the [[Spanish–American War]].<ref name="spanamwar">{{cite web|url=http://www.spanamwar.com/Gatling.htm|title=Gatling|author=Patrick McSherry|publisher=spanamwar.com|access-date=2015-11-03|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509033232/http://www.spanamwar.com/Gatling.htm|archive-date=2018-05-09}}</ref> A four-gun battery of Model 1895 ten-barrel Gatling guns in [[.30-40 Krag|.30 Army]], made by [[Colt's Manufacturing Company|Colt's Arms Company]], was formed into a separate detachment led by [[John Henry Parker (General)|Lt. John "Gatling Gun" Parker]].<ref>Parker, John H. (Lt.), ''History of the Gatling Gun Detachment'', Kansas City, MO: Hudson-Kimberly Publishing Co. (1898), pp. 20, 23–32</ref> The detachment proved very effective, supporting the advance of American forces at the [[Battle of San Juan Hill]]. Three of the Gatlings with swivel mountings were used with great success against the Spanish defenders.<ref name=" Parker, John H. 2006">Parker, John H. (Lt.), ''The Gatlings At Santiago'', Middlesex, UK: Echo Library (reprinted 2006)</ref> During the American charge up San Juan and Kettle hills, the three guns fired a total of 18,000 .30 Army rounds in {{frac|8|1|2}} minutes (an average of over 700 rounds per minute per gun of continuous fire) against Spanish troop positions along the crest of both hills, causing significant casualties.<ref name=" Parker, John H. 2006"/><ref>Parker, John H.: Cranked by hand at its highest speed until the first magazine of ammunition had been emptied, the M1895 .30 Gatling Gun had an initial rate of fire of 800–900 rounds per minute.</ref>

Despite this successful deployment, the Gatling's weight and cumbersome artillery carriage hindered its ability to keep up with infantry forces over difficult ground, particularly in Cuba, where roads were often little more than jungle footpaths. By this time, the [[U.S. Marines]] had been issued the modern tripod-mounted [[M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun]] using the [[6mm Lee Navy]] round, which they employed to defeat the Spanish infantry at the battle of [[1898 invasion of Guantánamo Bay#Assault on Cuzco Wells|Cuzco Wells]].

=== Philippine–American War ===
{{main|Philippine–American War}}
{{Further|Battle of San Jacinto (1899)}}

Gatling guns were used by the U.S. Army during the [[Philippine–American War]].

One such instance was during the [[Battle of San Jacinto (1899)]] ({{langx|es|Batalla de San Jacinto}}) which was fought on November 11, 1899, in [[San Jacinto, Pangasinan|San Jacinto]] in the [[Philippines]], between [[Philippine Republican Army]] soldiers and American troops.<ref>Linn, B. M., 2000, The Philippine War, 1899–1902, Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, {{ISBN|0700612254}}</ref>

The Gatling's weight and artillery carriage hindered its ability to keep up with American troops over uneven terrain, particularly in the Philippines, where outside the cities there were heavily foliaged forests and steep mountain paths.

== Further development ==
{{main|Minigun|Rotary cannon}}
After the Gatling gun was replaced in service by newer recoil or gas-operated weapons, the approach of using multiple externally powered rotating barrels fell into disuse for many decades. However, some examples were developed during the interwar years, but only existed as prototypes or were rarely used. The concept resurfaced after World War II with the development of the [[Minigun]] and the [[M61 Vulcan]] in particular for use in aircraft over reciprocating bolt autocannons which are more prone to jamming in [[high g]] environments. Other versions of the Gatling gun were built from the late 20th century to the present, the largest of them being the 30mm [[GAU-8 Avenger]] autocannon as used on the [[Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II]].{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

==Users==
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
*[[Argentina]]
*[[Austria-Hungary]]
*[[Brazil]]
*[[British Empire]]
*[[Bolivia]]<ref>{{cite web| url=https://issuu.com/camilapesse/docs/jornada_antofagasta| title=Jornada de Historia Militar en Antofagasta. Guerra del Pacifico| date=August 30, 2019| access-date=September 6, 2022| archive-date=September 6, 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220906223301/https://issuu.com/camilapesse/docs/jornada_antofagasta| url-status=dead}}</ref> 
*[[Kingdom of Bonny]]<ref name=Nigeria3>{{cite web | url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18820708.2.40.26 |title=Fighting in New Calabar. Auckland Star, Volume XV, Issue 3716, 8 July 1882, Page 4 (Supplement)}}</ref>
*[[Chile]] 
*[[Colombia]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://catalogoenlinea.bibliotecanacional.gov.co/client/es_ES/search/asset/74979| title=Manual del manejo del cañon gatling(ametralladora) usado por la guardia colombiana (1874)}}</ref> 
*[[Khedivate of Egypt]] 
*[[France]]
*[[Haiti]] 
*[[Ijesha|Ijesha Kingdom]]<ref name=Nigeria2>{{cite web | url=https://dra.american.edu/islandora/object/thesesdissertations%3A3270/datastream/PDF/view | title=THE PROLIFERATION OF SMALL ARMS AND LIGHT WEAPONS IN INTERNAL CONFLICT: THE CHALLENGE OF HUMAN SECURITY IN NIGERIA|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20220905214802/https://dra.american.edu/islandora/object/thesesdissertations%3A3270/datastream/PDF/view |archive-date= September 5, 2022}}</ref> 
*[[Kingdom of Italy]] 
*[[Empire of Japan]] 
*[[Kalabari Kingdom]]<ref name=Nigeria1>Smith, R. (1970). The Canoe in West African History. The Journal of African History, 11(4), 515–533. http://www.jstor.org/stable/180919</ref> 
*[[Korean Empire]] 
*[[Liberation Army of the South]]
*[[Kingdom of Montenegro]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=mont |url=https://carbinesforcollectors.com/mont.html |access-date=2023-04-15 |website=carbinesforcollectors.com}}</ref> 
*[[Morocco]]<ref>Chinn, George Morgan, "The Machine Gun: History, Evolution and Development of Manual, Automatic and Airborne Repeating Weapons, Volume 1" U.S. Government Printing Office, (1951)</ref> 
*[[Nagaoka Domain]]
*[[Nicaragua]]<ref name=":0">Jowett, Phillip, Latin American Wars 1900-1941: Osprey Publishing (2018)</ref>
*[[Ottoman Empire]]<ref>Drury, Ian, "The Russo-Turkish War 1877": Osprey Publishing (1994)</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.historicalfirearms.info/post/108355102849/the-gatling-gun-invented-by-dr-richard-gatling-in|title=Historical Firearms - The Gatling Gun Invented by Dr Richard Gatling in...}}</ref> 
*[[Peru]]
*[[Qing Empire]] 
*[[Radical Civic Union]] 
*[[Kingdom of Romania]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://historia.ro/sectiune/general/mitralierele-au-intrat-in-dotarea-armatei-romane-589329.html|title=Mitralierele au intrat în dotarea Armatei Române în timpul Războiului de Independență|author=Emil Boboescu|language=ro|website=historia.ro}}</ref>
*[[Russian Empire]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1884/april/machine-guns-gatling-gun-its-positive-feed-high-angle-fire-and-use|title=Machine-Guns. The Gatling Gun: Its Positive Feed, High-Angle Fire, and Use in War|date=December 13, 1901|website=U.S. Naval Institute}}</ref>
*[[Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782–1932)|Siam Empire]]
*[[Beylik of Tunis]]<ref>Longstaff, F. V. "The Book of the Machine Gun 1917'' (2003)</ref> 
*[[United States]]
{{Div col end}}

==Gallery==
<gallery class="center">
File: Gatling Gun.jpg|A Korean Gatling gun from the [[Donghak Peasant Revolution]]
File:Troop D of Colorado state militia in Meeker, 1904.png|[[Colorado National Guard]] with Gatling guns during [[Colorado Labor Wars]], 1904
File: Gatling Gun 2.jpg|A modern reproduction of the Gatling gun
</gallery>

== See also ==
* {{annotated link|Ripley machine gun}}
* {{annotated link|Gardner gun}}
* {{annotated link|Hotchkiss revolving cannon}}
* {{annotated link|Bailey machine gun}}
* {{annotated link|List of multiple barrel firearms}}

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==

* {{cite book |last=Ordnance Department | first=United States |author-link= United States Army Ordnance Corps |title=Handbook of the Gatling Gun, Caliber .30 |publisher= Government Printing Office | year=1917 | location = Washington, D.C. | url= https://archive.org/details/handbookgatling00statgoog }}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Gatling guns|Gatling gun}}

* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkwjaTzet8Y An original video about the Gatling history and guns]
* Randolph, Captain W. S., 5th US Artillery [http://www.allworldwars.com/Gatling-Guns-Service-and-Description-1878.html ''Service and Description of Gatling Guns, 1878'']
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/MG/I/MG-2.html 19th Century Machine Guns]
* [http://www.canit.se/~griffon/aviation/text/akandata.htm List of Military Gatling & Revolver cannons]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090804011933/http://sunblest.net/gun/Gatling.htm Austro-Hungarian Gatling Guns]
* {{US patent|36836}} -- ''Gatling gun''
* {{US patent|47631}} -- ''improved Gatling gun''
* {{US patent|112138}} -- ''revolving battery gun''
* {{US patent|125563}} -- ''improvement in revolving battery guns''
* {{US patent|110338}} -- ''feeder for repeating firearms''
* [https://patents.google.com/patent/US1328230 Machine-gun]
* [http://science.howstuffworks.com/machine-gun4.htm Description of operating principle (with animation) from HowStuffWorks]
* [http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/feature-cg-animation-shows-gatling-gun-cycle-of-operation CGI animated GAU-17/A]
* [http://www.victorianshipmodels.com/antitorpedoboatguns/Gatling/index.html Animations and technical descriptions of 1862, 1865 and 1874 models] (Requires QuickTime and not suitable for slow-speed links)
*[https://www.c-span.org/video/?205837-6/mr-gatlings-terrible-marvel Presentation by Keller about ''Mr. Gatling's Terrible Marvel: The Gun That Changed Everything and the Misunderstood Genius Who Invented It'' at the Printers Row Book Fair, June 8, 2008]
* [https://civilwarguns.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-gatling-gun.html The Gatling Gun]

{{Multiple Barrel Firearms}}
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[[Category:1861 introductions]]
[[Category:Early machine guns]]
[[Category:Multi-barrel machine guns]]
[[Category:Machine guns of the United States]]
[[Category:Rotary cannon]]
[[Category:American Civil War weapons]]
[[Category:Guns of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)]]
[[Category:Rotary machine guns]]