The Probert Encyclopaedia of Warfare

GATLING GUN

The Gatling gun was a non-automatic revolving machine-gun, invented by Richard Gatling in the 19th century, with a cluster of six barrels and a charging breech at which the cartridges were loaded into the barrels and fired in succession by means of a crank operated by the operator. The Gatling gun was adopted by the British army and navy in 1871 but were soon after the South African War superseded by automatic machine guns of the Maxim and other types which gave a quicker rate of fire and were worked with less difficulty. Later the term Gatling gun was applied to any multi-barrel machine gun.
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