The Gatling Gun

New York: Arco Publishing, 1965. - 168 pgs. The Gatling Gun is an excellent reference work for anyone interested in this iconic father of the machine gun, packed with information. The authors describe each different model of the Gatling, from the first 1862 model (which used separate chambers loaded with ball and percussion cap, since self-contained cartridges were not yet available) to the final 1903 model (chambered for the new .30-03 cartridge). It also includes a section on the more recent development of the Vulcan cannons, which began with vintage Gatlings connected to electric drive motors. Electric Gatling guns were first built and tested in 1890. In that year the Crocker-Wheeler Motor Company mounted an 80V electric motor to a 10-barrel Gatling and achieved a firing rate of 1500 rounds per minute. In addition to discussion of each intermediate model of the Gatling, Wahl and Toppel extensively cover foreign (and American) testing and trials of the Gatling guns as well as actual combat use of the guns. From protecting the New York Times headquarters from riots in 1863 to the Zulu campaigns, the Franco-Prussian War, naval battles between Chile and Peru and more, the authors include many original correspondents’ reports discussing the use of the Gatling. Extensive use of original woodcut illustration is also used – these generally being the only graphic depictions that were made at the time. If this weren’t enough to make for a thorough book, the authors have further included descriptions of different mounts used with the guns, different feed systems (from the relatively well known Accles drums to the more experimental feeds strips and other mechanisms.