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RICHARD J. GATLING, 1857, Signed Letter

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Rare “Richard J. Gatling” Document Signed

RICHARD J. GATLING, Inventor of the Rapid-Fire Gatling Gun.
Document Signed, “R.J. Gatling,” October 1857, Marion County, Indiana, 12.5” x 8”, Very Fine. A legal document in the case of Richard J. Gatling v. Martin Robbins, in which Gatling, the plaintiff, swears that Robbins did not pay him $425.33 “for money advanced and paid to the Defendant for the making and delivery of six grain drills... and for damages resulting from such failure....” Signed boldly by Gatling. Some show-through from docket, not affecting signature. A second legal document pertains to Gatling but is not signed by him. It is a Mortgage Short Form, docketed November 2, 1857, Marion County, Indiana, 16.25” x 10.25”, involving land mortgaged to Gatling by Solomon Harness, Fine. In 1862, Gatling obtained a patent for a rapid-fire gun, which became known as the Gatling gun. It was used to a limited extent during the Civil War, and adopted as standard equipment by the U.S. Army and Navy after the War. Gatling gained international recognition and honors for the development of the gun.

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