The National tribune., 1906-10-04
fFoRERUNNER OF THE GATLING.
Terrible Slaughter mt Charles City Cross
roads.

: Editor National Tribune: If you can
will you kindly answer this question
and oblige? Was the following-de-
scribed gun an early invention of the
Gatling gun? Golfers Weekly and 9th
er papers a year or two ago set up the
claim that DIR. Gatling did not invent
his gun, known by that name, unti>
after the war closed.
At the battle of Williamsburg. Va,
fought May 5, 1862, I saw gun stuck
in the mud on the Williamsburg road,
near a 10-pound Parrott gun in the
same predicament. This gun was
mounted on two wheels. but little
heavier than sulky or buggy wheels. 1t
consisted of steel barrel but little
heavier than some of our sporting-ritie
barrels. The caliber was either the size
of our mimic musket or but little larg-
er over the rear end of the barrel was
a hopper like that of an old-fashioned
coffee mill, only large enough to hold
1000 four-inch steel cylinders, which
were loaded and capped. At each quar-
ter-turn of a crank one of these cylin-
ders would be struck by a hammer,
which exploded the charge, and the
empty cylinder dropped into a box be-
meath the barrel and another cylinder
dropped into place. Thus there were
four cylinders discharged at every turn
of the crank. Just front of the axle
there was a sheetiron shield, behind
which two men worked the machine;
one sighted the gun, which rested on n
swivel. enabling the operator to move
the muzzle of the gun up or down or to
right or left, while the second man
turned the crank and attended to the
cartridges.
On June 80, 1862, we fought the bat
tie of Charles City Crossroads, or Fra
Zier's Farm. My regiment the I'd
Mich.) was called upon to support the
goth Ind, who had utilized an old slab
fence for breastworks, which they hast
lily strengthened, making a formidable
work. Both this regiment and the I'd
Mich. had been supplied with a cart
ridge intended for rapid fire. 1t con-
sisted of mimic ball somewhat smaller
than the regular size, while the powder
was attached to it in film case which
did not require any other process for
loading than to drop it in the gun and
strike the butt of the gun against the
ground then cap the gun and fire. OF
course, the fire was rapid, and proved
very effective at the short range before
us. We were in a grove of scrub-oaks
with an open field in front of US, while
at our left was an open field where were
stationed two batteries of artillery.
About half way between each two can
non was one of these Gatling guns, and
by their terrific rattle they seemed to
be doing terrible execution.
On our right we were supported by
regiment of dismounted cavalry. armed
with the Spencer rifle. This was the
first of these guns ever saw. The Con-
federates would charge on us with
seeming irresistible determination, only
to be moved down or driven back.
Those who got too near would never
risk going back. During a lull in the
battle a lot of these men were brought
into our lines. One of them asked to
see what kind of guns we had, and one
of our boys borrowed a Spencer rife
from the cavalry and showed it to the
prisoner. Said he: "By -, We can
fight any kind of men in the world If
we have as good guns as they, but no
kind of men with our guns can stand
up against guns you wind up on Sum
day and then fire the whole week"
I have heard this story told as oc-
curing in other places. but I heard
these words from the Confederate my
self.
The enemy charged upon the artillery
and Gatling guns right up to the
mouths of the cannon, when the troops
in support arose and fired, then charged
in turn. All day long, until 10 o'clock
at night, this terrific storm of human
passion accompanied by lead and iron
hail went on. We fought all through
the Peninsular campaign, then with
Pope, then with Burnside at Fredericks-
burg, then with Grant at Vicksburg,
then back to Kentucky and Tennessee,
and finally back to the Wilderness and
the terrific fighting on that line, but
never did I see such persistency on the
part of the Southern soldiers or such
bulldog, stubborn resistance by our men
as shown in that battle. / believe none
but American soldiers could or would
have stood such an ordeal. 1t made
one think of the historic passage:
"When Greek meets Greek, then comes
the tug of war"
AS / look back upon this scene il
makes me proud of the Southern sol
diers. 1t would have been no honor to
defeat any other kind of men in such
a struggle. Then We realized, War is
-"
The day was terrifically hot. There
was no: air enough to carry the smoke
of battle from the field. The air was
thick with the sulfur smell of burnt
gunpowder, which caused one to gasI
for q breath of fresh air. Long into the
gloomy night the surroundings were
made hideous with the screams OF
frightened and wounded horses tho
groans of the dying and the cries OF
the wounded for water and for theil
comrades. We counted "a regiments %
the enemy in our immediate front. The
ground was literally strewn with th'
enemy's dead and wounded, while tn,
goth Ind and the I'd Mich. did not los,
a dozen men. and the cavalry, / believe
not any. OF course, ] am speaking o
our part of the battlefield.
The enemy's dead turned black with
IN a few minutes after death. This wa!
attributed 20 whisky and gunpowdeI
which our boys claimed was given thei
men to make them desperate. We Ger
tainly found such stuff in the prisoners
canteens. But we also found prisoner
who had not touched the stuff wh
showed as much courage and persist
ency as the others, and none of tn
prisoners were intoxicated. No, it wa
not whisky bravery, but these wer
Americans. Though misguided, the
were brave and noble warriors. Thes
machine guns ! speak of were calle