The Gatling Gun
The Gatling Gun, invented by a young man from North Carolina for the Union Army brought about the beginnings of modern warfare and still haunts the battlefield today.
Modern warfare is defined by the advent of the higher-level killing machines, such as the machine gun. The father of the machine gun (not withstanding Hiram Maxim) was Dr Richard Gatling. Gatling was the son of a North Carolina farmer. In his twenties he invented a steamship prop and a planting device known as a wheat drill. He moved from the south and marketed his inventions. Seeing an opportunity in the Civil War, he founded the Gatling Gun Company in 1862 and promptly began marketing the weapon.