John Lamb was tracing his great-great-grandfather's involvement in the Civil War when he came across reports of a 19th-century killing machine.
The former Harford County resident and Civil War buff soon turned his interests toward the so-called Winans Steam Gun. A shiny, black, oversized metal contraption, the steam gun was made by an Ohio inventor who boasted that it could take out an entire regiment in one sweep, firing up to 400 rounds a minute from 300 yards away.
On TV The 19th-century steam gun is featured on Mythbusters at 9 tonight on the Discovery Channel.