Trivia 9-12-13 I've seen this somewhere...

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Question

An inventive man I was, and in some cases ahead of my time,
as I rode about Connecticut with my “steam car” I designed.
But it proved to be too noisy, and the locals said it’s done,
so as the war began, I would promote and build my gun.

My gun was rather expensive, and to sell it was quite hard,
until I demonstrated my rifle at the Washington Navy Yard.
I soon produced a thousand and word started getting around,
about my gun that in 1 minute fired 14 to 20 rounds.

With my trade perfected in Hartford, opportunity came one day,
in ’63 I walked up to Lincoln and there on his desk it was laid.
He asked me to return the next day, to fire and give it a test,
so there close to the White House, a “shoot out” left Lincoln impressed.

It took time to reach the field, but soon my fame would grow,
the cavalry just loved them, as we always put on a show.
A favorite of Colonel Wilder and his Lightning Brigade,
from Custer on to Wilson, they were the greatest ever made.

"The best breech-loading arms available” General Grant stated,
but after the war was over, the market for my rifle deflated.
I was quite an inventor, my grandfather always believed I’d go far,
my rifle company went bankrupt, so it was back to my “steam car”.


Questions

1. Who Am I?
2. What was the nickname
the Confederate Soldiers gave this rifle?

credit: @DBF
 
Christopher Miner Spencer - source

Confederates who came up against Union outfits using repeaters often called it, "…that damned Yankee rifle they load up on Sunday and fire all week!" - source (found this nickname attached to the Spencer on multiple sites, but it is also shown as being the Confederate nickname for the Henry rifle)
 
1) Who?
Christopher Miner Spencer
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christopher_Miner_Spencer&oldid=914398082

2) Nickname
Horizontal shot tower

1568290317546.png


Source

Additional source:
https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+7-shot+wonder%3A+Spencer%27s+%22horizontal+shot+tower%22+may+have+been...-a0200451720
 
1. Chris Miner Spencer
2. "The damnyankee gun you can load on Sunday and shoot all week long'

 
I always spend a bit of time after I post my answer in further reading on the subject. I found several sources that show another confederate nickname of the Spencer rifle as the Horizontal Shot Tower. I am sticking to my original answer of Seven Devil as it came from the book "The Language of the Civil War" which has been a trusted source in numerous trivia questions. The link to that source is in my original post. Makes sense that such an important weapon would have multiple confederate nicknames.


Source for Horizontal Shot Tower
 
1. Christopher M. Spencer.
2. Horizontal shot tower.
 
Question

An inventive man I was, and in some cases ahead of my time,
as I rode about Connecticut with my “steam car” I designed.
But it proved to be too noisy, and the locals said it’s done,
so as the war began, I would promote and build my gun.

My gun was rather expensive, and to sell it was quite hard,
until I demonstrated my rifle at the Washington Navy Yard.
I soon produced a thousand and word started getting around,
about my gun that in 1 minute fired 14 to 20 rounds.

With my trade perfected in Hartford, opportunity came one day,
in ’63 I walked up to Lincoln and there on his desk it was laid.
He asked me to return the next day, to fire and give it a test,
so there close to the White House, a “shoot out” left Lincoln impressed.

It took time to reach the field, but soon my fame would grow,
the cavalry just loved them, as we always put on a show.
A favorite of Colonel Wilder and his Lightning Brigade,
from Custer on to Wilson, they were the greatest ever made.

"The best breech-loading arms available” General Grant stated,
but after the war was over, the market for my rifle deflated.
I was quite an inventor, my grandfather always believed I’d go far,
my rifle company went bankrupt, so it was back to my “steam car”.


Questions

1. Who Am I?
2. What was the nickname
the Confederate Soldiers gave this rifle?

credit: @DBF
1. Christopher Spencer (1833-1922).
2. Mr. Lincoln's gun", The "gun that could be loaded on Sunday and fired all week".
Colonel John T. Wilder in describing the firearm's use at the Battle of Chickamauga called it the "merciless Spencer seven-shooter".
 
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