In this book, the author, deadliest sniper in U.S. history tracks down and shoots the ten most important American firearms, from a flintlock rifle to a Colt revolver to the latest high-tech weapon he used as a Navy SEAL. He uses these guns as a window on United States history, making the sweeping argument that the American story has been tied to and shaped by the gun. He revisits turning points in American history, including the single sniper shot that turned the tide of the Revolutionary War, the firearms that proved decisive in the Civil War's Batlte of Gettysburg, the "gun that won the West, " and the weapon that gave U.S. soldiers an edge in World War I and World War II, and beyond. This is also the story of how firearms innovation, creativity, and industrial genius has constantly pushed American history, and power forward.