Just before his untimely death
the great American hero, Chris Kyle, was working on his second
book, American Gun: A History of the US in Ten Firearms,
co-authored with William Doyle, and Jim DeFelice. Each chapter
of the book offers engaging stories that are associated with
a particular gun. The authors discuss American history and
how guns helped to influence wars, shootouts, and duels. There
is a potent and heart-warming forward and afterword by his
wife, Taya Kyle, who is now engaged in keeping Chris’
legacy alive (www.chriskylememorialtrust.org/)
as well as supporting what meant most to him, helping his
fellow soldier.
There are fascinating stories that even gun novices will
enjoy; yet, there is enough technology in it for the gun buffs.
The ten guns he discusses are: The American Long Rifle (aka
as the Kentucky Rifle) used during the American Revolution
and in the opening of the western frontier; the Spencer Repeater
used during the Civil War; the Colt Single Action Army handgun
(aka as Colt 4.5) used to define the old west; the Winchester
1873 Rifle used during the wars with the Indians; the 1903
Springfield used during WWI; the M1911 Army Pistol used by
the Army from 1911 to 1985; the American Machine Gun used
by gangsters and law enforcement in the 1920s; the M1 Garand
Semi-Automatic Rifle used during WWII; the American Police
Handgun; and the M16 Assault Rifle the standard US military
weapon currently used today.
Taya Kyle stated, “Chris did not see this book as political.
He wanted to write about his passions, which were American
history and guns. He did this by showing how everyday people
used their guns as a tool to accomplish justice. He chose
the iconic guns from his perspective. This is really a book
about people.”
Both Doyle and DeFelice wanted to make sure Chris’ voice
is echoed throughout the book. Doyle commented, “Chris
was the commanding officer of the book and he wanted to make
sure that people understand that the gun is a primary tool
of American history.” Everyone who reads this book will
probably have their own favorites but below are just a few
examples.
DeFelice who became friends with Chris as his co-author of
American Sniper knew that Chris enjoyed the Wild West stories.
He believes this was reflected in the chapter about Indian
tactics. “Chris loved the Texas Rangers (not the baseball
team.) He talked about how the Colt changed the Frontier West.”
The chapter discusses the Indian tactic of provoking an initial
volley of gunfire and then rushing their opponents before
they had time to reload. The Colt revolver changed that because
it allowed for five shots, five chances to get the Indian
opponent. DeFelice said he and Chris in the course of a discussion
noted, “This became a really bad tactic for the Indians
because of the multiple shots.”
Chris fascinatingly describes the famous battle of the Civil
War, Gettysburg, and how guns contributed to it. At the beginning
of the Civil War inaccurate muskets were used. As the war
progressed the Spencer Repeater, described by DeFelice as
an early semi-automatic rifle, made its presence known. In
1863, the rifle was first used at the Hoover’s Gap battle.
It became obvious that this multiple-shot infantry gun would
eventually dominate the battlefield. In discussing Gettysburg,
Chris told how these guns showed up “to help tip the
scales in favor of the North,” and that “the volume
of fire was one important key to winning a battle that’s
been called the turning point of the Civil War.” As
DeFelice noted, “This weapon allowed for the ability
to aim and fire. It did not decide the war, but it did make
a significant difference.”
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