The peculiar-looking weapon at White Point Garden facing South Battery is not a version of the famous Gatling Gun, but a Spanish-made rapid fire gun taken as a trophy during the Spanish-American War. The gun is marked with the date 1886, and was fixed on a Spanish warship as armament. The ship was apparently captured or surrendered, and the gun was removed, but not donated to the City of Charleston until 1937, when it was placed at White Point Garden to complement the numerous military displays there.
The five-barrel was fired by a rotating cylinder that loaded and fired new rounds continuously, which is the same concept as the Gatling Gun. Considering the woeful record of the Spanish navy against the U.S., the gun probably caused few casualties, and like many of the weapons frequently climbed-on at White Point Garden, has surely contributed to more injuries in peace time than in war.