American history has been largely forged in conflict, starting from the very first days when the Revolution’s first volleys were fired. Suffice it to say, firearms are an integral part of the social ...

Prologue: A taste for distasteful truths -- Before the mast (1814-33). Lord's Hill ; His name was Colt ; The voyage of the Corvo ; The nitrous oxide tour -- Exertions and enterprise (1833-38). The ...