Arthur Lockhart “Gat” Howard (1846-17 Feb 1901), at the time of his death a naturalized Canadian, had served five years in the regular United States Cavalry and had retired to New Haven Connecticut where he was employed by Winchester Arms and formed a cartridge-making company of his own whose premises were destroyed by fire. Shortly afterwards he was commissioned Second Liutenant in the Connecticut National Guard and placed in command of a machine-gun Platoon.
When the Northwest Rebellion broke out in Canada and Canada acquired two Gatling Guns, the gun’s inventor asked Howard to go to Canada privately with the guns as an expert and he agreed. Reluctantly the National Guard granted him a month’s leave of absence and entirely without US Government approval the unemployed machine-gun enthusiast left his wife and four children and took the guns to the Northwest Territories to serve Canada, during which he was often seen wearing his blue US uniform, even in action. The delighted Canadian Press dubbed him “Gat” Howard. One of the guns in the hands of Canadian gunners was used at the Battle of Cut Knife Hill on 2 May 1885. And between 9-12 May, Howard took part in the Battle of Batoche with the second gun. After the victory over Riel’s forces, he stayed in Canada and became wealthy as a cartridge manufacturer.
At the outbreak of the Second Boer War Howard was commissioned into 1st CMR (later RCD) as OC Machine-gun Section: 2 Maxims, 1 Colt, 13 men: 10 gunners 1 sergeant, 2 drivers. Later, promoted major, he organized and commanded Howard’s Scouts - after his death, renamed the Canadian Scouts. Some of the lurid events portrayed on film as the Australian story of “Breaker Morant,” actually occurred in relation to Howard and his rough and ready outfit. At least two accounts of the Boers’ perfidious “murder” of Howard on the battlefield after his capture, exist.
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