Gatling gun was the first practical, rapid-firing machine gun. It was invented by Richard Jordan Gatling, an American inventor of agricultural equipment. Gatling patented the gun in 1862 for use in the American Civil War (1861-1865). It consisted of 10 barrels that were rotated rapidly around a central shaft by a hand-operated crank. Each barrel could be loaded by gravity, fired, and revolved out of the way to make way for the next barrel. Improved models of the Gatling gun became standard equipment for the U.S. Army and Navy during the Spanish-American War (1898). Modern Gatling guns are standard equipment in the armed forces of many countries. See Gatling, Richard Jordan; Machine gun.