Machine Gun and its Effect on Tactics
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The Machine Gun and its Effect on Modern Warfare
Since the invention of gunpowder and its application in warfare, few weapons have changed the way wars have been fought like the machine gun. Starting with the Gatling gun and perfected with the Maxim machine gun, the automatic weapon has changed the tactics of warfare on the ground, and later in the air.
Richard J. Gatling was born in Money's Neck, N.C. on September 12, 1818. As a young boy, he helped his father build and improve machines for sowing cottonseeds and for thinning the plants. Gatling was well educated and successful, teaching school and running a business, while devoting most of his spare time developing new inventions. Gatling became interested in the study of medicine after an attack of smallpox. He completed a course at the Ohio Medical College and received his M...