Inventor. Benjamin Tyler Henry gained fame as a 19th-century American inventor of firearms. As an employee of Oliver Winchester, he designed the prototype of the Winchester Rifle, which became one of the most successful firearms in the world. Born to a prominent and prosperous New England family, his grandfather and cousin were inventors of water wheels used in textile factories. After being a firearm apprentice, he met with firearm designers Horace Smith and Daniel Baird Wesson while being a foreman at Robbins and Lawrence Armory and Machine Shop. Through these two men in 1854, he met Winchester, who was an investor in Smith and Wesson's first gun-making adventure. By 1857, he became the plant superintendent of Winchester's control of the Smith & Wesson Company, whose name was changed to Volcanic Repeating Arms Company and later the New Haven Arms Company. On October 16, 1860, he obtained United States Patent #30,446 for "Improvement in the Magazine Fire Arms" with an assignor to Oliver F. Winchester. In agreement with Smith and Wesson, Winchester purchased the rights to all firearm and ammunition designs. During the American Civil War in July of 1862, the .44-caliber repeating firearm, the Henry Rifle of 1860, was ready to sell but proved more expensive to produce than other firearms. Critics claimed if a man has only one bullet to hit a target, his aim would be better instead of having repeating bullets, which may waste ammunition. Other critics, such as military officers, were impressed with the rifle, but this rifle was not adopted as an official military firearm by the army's bureaucracy. With a photograph documenting the event, the United States Army 7th Illinois Infantry carried his rifles during the war. Only 1,731 rifles were actually purchased in the United States. He became displeased with the royalty agreement he had with Winchester and his New Haven Arms Company. He took legal action by petitioning the State legislature to award him the company as back pay for the royalties due him. At that point, Winchester resolved his own company and reorganized another company, the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. By 1866 the production of his rifle came to an end, with only 14,000 having been produced, and with the legal suit, his employment with Winchester also came to an end. The firearm that he created did not disappear as a new and improved model was created. The new model had the same .44 caliber rimfire cartridges as the Henry Rifle, yet had an improved magazine with the addition of a loading gate on the right side of the receiver. Being less expensive to produce, this new model was designed by Nelson King and entered the market that same year under a new name of Winchester's Model 1866, or the next generation of his Henry Rifle. This model led to the production of the most iconic lever action rifles of all time. He and Winchester never reconciled their differences over the royalties, and he worked as an independent gunsmith the rest of his life, whereas Winchester became a multi-millionaire. In 1870, Winchester went to Europe to market the new rifles. During the French-Prussian War, France purchased 6,000 rifles with the needed ammunition. For the Russo-Turkish War in 1877, the Ottoman Empire purchased 45,000 rifles with the needed ammunition. Even though newer models were available, the inexpensive 1866 model was available until 1899. The Winchester's Model 1873 was particularly successful, being marketed by the manufacturer as "The Gun That Won the West."