This Model 1897 Gatling Gun mounted on a wooden carriage and features a 30 3/4 inch 30 caliber 10 barrel cluster. The top of the brass breech cover is hand engraved "GATLING GUN PATENTED/Manufactured by/Colt's Pt. F.A. Mfg. Co./HARTFORD, CONN. U.S.A." and "No 1065/Cal. 30/T.C.D.". The right side is marked "MODEL/1897". The rear breech housing plate is marked with a small "R.A.C." Sub-Inspectors initials and the right side of the cartridge hopper is engraved with an arrow pointing forward and stamped "PATENTED FEB. 11. 1890". The gun has the Bruce feed system and comes with one magazine. The barrels and the breech housing are bright. The gun is mounted on an iron turret attached to a wooden carriage. The left side front of the axle housing is stamped with "1300" and "US 22" (both a bit difficult to make out). The carriage is approximately 77 inches across the axle and the wooden spoked wheels with iron bands are approximately 54 1/2 inches high. There is a folding iron seat mounted on the carriage tongue. There is a wooden box attached to the top of the axle housing on either side of the gun and a pot hanging by a chain. A forerunner to the modern machine gun, the Gatling gun was first used in combat in the American Civil War, but would not be officially adopted by the U.S. Army until 1866. A four gun battery of Colt 1897 Gatling guns was deployed by American forces during the Spanish-American War and proved effective in supporting the advance at the Battle of San Juan Hill. The use of the Gatling gun in warfare was most successful for armies of expanding European colonial empires who used the rapid firing gun against native warriors mounting massed attacks. Truly a unique weapon of war that continues to influence modern combat systems. The Gatling Gun is accompanied by documents showing by serial number that this gun was sold to the U.S. Army and was listed with a deck stand and shipped to Camp Connell, Sacramento, California. Most likely a stop over before being shipped somewhere in the Pacific.

Good. The crisp barrels are a light gray patina with some scattered minor pitting. The brass has an attractive aged patina. The iron wheel bands and turret handle show moderate pitting with a coat of varnish. The remaining surfaces, including the iron mounting, have been heavily varnished. The action functions fine. Colt Gatling guns are the "holy grail" of all 19th Century American Old West folklore!