Gatling Gun

The Gatling Gun is one of the early rapid-fire weapons that paved the way for modern machine guns. It was first used by Union forces in the 1860s during the Civil War. Its cyclic multi-barrel design made it possible to fire up to 400 rounds per minute because the barrels would not overheat as they rotated after each round. This sketch shows those barrels well, with the gun mounted on a tripod.