General John Henry Parker is best known for his role as the commander of the Gatling Gun detachment during the Spanish-American War. In early 1898, then Lieutenant Parker, a recent graduate of the United States Military Academy, was placed in charge of training soldiers in the use of machine guns. His detachment was a dumping ground for soldiers not fit to serve in other areas, and at that time, the idea of using machine guns in battle was of little value to the US Army. However, Parker believed machine guns could play a vital role in battle.1
In this time period, large artillery had to be transported by draft animals. This was not always a feasible possibility given the terrain, the time frame, and the fact that animals could be killed by enemy fire. Lt. Parker was able to see the purpose of machine guns as a replacement for artillery in battle, especially at ranges closer than 1500 yards.2 He petitioned the US Army for a chance to build a machine gun detachment that could be used for offensive battle tactics, and was granted permission to put a unit together shortly before being sent to Cuba during the Spanish-American War.
Lt. Parker was given four brand new 1895 Gatling guns of .30 caliber. The Gatling gun works by gravity feeding bullets into the top and dropping shells out the bottom, while the shaft was turned by a hand-crank. The gun’s swivel mount and rapid fire allowed the shooter to aim and shoot over long distances of up to 2000 yards, protecting the shooter from enemy fire by artillery. The only disadvantage of the Gatling gun, aside from a lack of training on the weapon, was that it was prone to jamming.3
At the start of the Spanish-American War, Lt. Parker and his Gatling Gun Detachment were assigned to the 5th Army Corps. It would be the first time the US Army would use machine guns as an offensive weapon during battle. On July 1, 1898, the Battle of San Juan Hill began early in the morning. Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders and the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Calvary and the 24th Infantry Regiments were attempting to take San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill. The US Army was off to an early loss on that first day of the battle. It was not until the afternoon, when Lt. Parker positioned his Gatling guns and opened fire, that the battle went in favor of the US Army.4 The US artillery used black powder and the Spanish Army used smokeless powder, allowing the Spanish Army to see and fire upon the US artillery. The Gatling guns, however, were smokeless.5
Lt. Parker was ordered to move his guns as close to the battle as he could. He moved them to El Poso, the southern end of the area, where they could attack a blockhouse, the trenches, and the barbed wire entanglements of the Spanish Army. For eight-and-a-half minutes the Gatling guns fired continuously upon the Spanish, causing the soldiers to flee the trenches in an attempt to reach safety. Teddy Roosevelt is known to have said that the sound of the Gatling guns “was most inspiring” to the US soldiers. The Gatling guns were re-positioned, and they fended off the Spanish counterattack.6 Parker’s soldiers and the Gatling guns were with the US soldiers during the entire siege, even down in the trenches.7
Although the US lost three times the number of soldiers as the Spanish, supporting fire from the Gatling guns was crucial to the success of the Battle of San Juan. The artillery were only able to shoot about 270 fragments, while the Gatling guns were able to shoot with precision about 1000 shots.8 For the first time in history, machine guns were used offensively in a battle and were able to successfully disable an opposing army’s artillery. Spanish Army General Jose Toral said in his official report that the Gatling guns and their fire power was a major reason for the Spanish surrender.9
Lt. Parker was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action and was eventually promoted to general. He continued his military career by training other armies in Europe in the use of machine guns in warfare. Prior to the Spanish-American War, Parker believed that using machine guns in close battle would allow troops to advance under the protection of the machine guns, harming the enemy and improving the morale of US soldiers. This value of the machine gun had been proven.10
- John H. Parker, History of the Gatling Gun Detachment Fifth Army Corps, at Santiago (Kansas City, MO: Hudson-Kimberly Publishing Co, 1898), 14, 18-25. ↵
- John H. Parker, History of the Gatling Gun Detachment Fifth Army Corps, at Santiago (Kansas City, MO: Hudson-Kimberly Publishing Co, 1898), 62. ↵
- John H. Parker, History of the Gatling Gun Detachment Fifth Army Corps, at Santiago (Kansas City, MO: Hudson-Kimberly Publishing Co, 1898), 18-19, 27-28. ↵
- John H. Parker, History of the Gatling Gun Detachment Fifth Army Corps, at Santiago (Kansas City, MO: Hudson-Kimberly Publishing Co, 1898), 11. ↵
- Encyclopedia Britannica, January 2012, s.v. “Machine Gun.” ↵
- John H. Parker, History of the Gatling Gun Detachment Fifth Army Corps, at Santiago (Kansas City, MO: Hudson-Kimberly Publishing Co, 1898), 72-93. ↵
- John H. Parker, History of the Gatling Gun Detachment Fifth Army Corps, at Santiago (Kansas City, MO: Hudson-Kimberly Publishing Co, 1898), 11-12. ↵
- John H. Parker, History of the Gatling Gun Detachment Fifth Army Corps, at Santiago (Kansas City, MO: Hudson-Kimberly Publishing Co, 1898), 103. ↵
- “Old Glory to Wave over Santiago Today,” Chicago Tribune, (Chicago, IL), Jul. 17, 1898. ↵
- John H. Parker, History of the Gatling Gun Detachment Fifth Army Corps, at Santiago (Kansas City, MO: Hudson-Kimberly Publishing Co, 1898), 12. ↵
56 comments
Luis Molina Lucio
This article really did teach me who L.T parker was. I did understand what was the main point of the article which was to really show who L.T was and what he believed. L.T Parker really believed that AR’s were the main source of defense. Technology is the main source for war nowadays and that started in the past with small steps to modern technology like the Gatling gun. Overall a extensively detailed article that really elaborated on L.T parker and his beliefs.
Ruben Becerril
I found this article to be very interesting and engaging. I was surprised that machine guns had little value at the time and that the Gatling Gun’s value was really only noticed once deployed in the Spanish-American war. With this, machine guns would get adopted into the military and would be improved upon, now in modern times it is commonly used.
Guadalupe Altamira
Very interesting article about the first machine gun. Seeing the technology of the past and seeing the story behind along with the people who started it. Parker was very confident in what the Gatling gun and using it was a success despite the risk. It was successful and he was noticed for his it. The article really captures all of the achievements and detail too in reading it.
Elizabeth Saxon
I really found this article very interesting. I didn’t know that machine guns weren’t a primary source of weapons until this battle. No wonder the united stated has had such a powerful military. Weapons like machine guns are now used tremendously in the military. It’s crazy to think that without Parker and his men the US probably would have lost a lot more than 100 men and most likely would have lost the battle.
Erika Longoria
This article did a great job at including many details that help the reader understand the development of machine guns. It shows the what the soldiers would have to had faced without this weaponry, and how they were able to use this as an advantage, which helped them win at the win. It’s interesting to learn that Lt. Parker had this new idea so animals didn’t have to transport the machinery and the soldiers could get closer in battle and at the end of it all, they won the battle.
Briana Gonzalez
It’s really detailed and beyond the point of how before how Gatling guns were used and the disadvantages of having not fit soldiers or jammed guns. And little by little things needed to be fixed and it was more to be successfully used. It’s crazy how time passes by, and the gun becomes automatic which is easy to use or carry when battling a war.
Jacob Galan
Good article in the sense that the gatling gun was a building block for automatic machine guns almost 20 years later you had portable machines guns like the Vickers machine gun in WWI rather than it being on wheels. The only thing I wish was included in the article is to give the inventor Richard Gatling credit by mentioning him in either a sentence or two or a paragraph as well. Still a good article about the use of machine gun.
Mckenzie Gritton
Very informative article. It was also interesting to learn that they used animals to transport their weapons. Im not sure why I thought they just carried all their weapons with them. It was also interesting that they considered this weapon as a sort of moral booster for the troops. Its like now they felt like they had a weapon for the enemy to fear.
Serenity Kamenski
First up, your writing is super detailed oriented and informative, which made this article very interesting to read. Second, General Parker and his pursue to incorporate machine guns into close combat paved ways for the way they are used into today’s wars and militaries. The part where you described how Gatling gun worked was very surprising to learn that they had to crank it by hand in order to shoot, which really shows how technology has advanced throughout the years.
Cameron Lopez
This article shows how the integration of new technology and the ways to use it don’t always go as smooth as intended. For example the Gatling gun belong to the machine gun family in the modern era of the military. The Gatling gun showed just how effective a weapon like this can be to the enemy as such long distances.