[Leaning Right]

For all you Custer and Gatling Gun fans out there, here’s a novel that supposes that Custer did bring his machine gun battery to the Little Big Horn.

(I don’t have the book. So I don’t know how it ends. Maybe Sitting Bull captures the guns, and retakes Chicago. Now that would be an ending with a twist.)

https://www.amazon.com/Custers-Gatling-Guns-Machine-Little/dp/1926585011

[Calvin Locke]

From what I remember of Gatling guns, the US Quartermaster declined to buy them during the Civil War. The gun itself was about 800lbs, with a support wagon that was another 800lbs.

The round was .58 cal, so it wasn’t already provisioned by the quartermaster corps.

And, the gun itself wasn’t reliable.

What it was a decade+ later, I have no idea.

[RedMonqey]

Here is a supposedly genuine Colt Model 1875 Gatling Gun, on carriage with ammo limber. Maybe the good marine did some trail runs with one such rig but I don't see this setup traversing gulleys, streams, ruts and groundhog holes and still be battle ready. The Indians, even if they never seen a gat, would surely learn quickly and keep outta range. The same reason why Custer didn't take a number of light cannons. Too damned cumbersome.