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scraped and hollowed out, they were extremely functional and
relatively inexpensive to obtain: the raw materials were often sold
cheaply from local tanneries.
Anyone who owned a musket, fowler, or rifle used a powder
horn. Since the early 17th century, firearms employed a flintlock
mechanism, which ignited gunpowder by
striking steel with flint. As flintlock weapons
became standard, powder horns become an
essential component of the Provincial uniform.
Horns containing gunpowder were fitted with a
plug in the base end and a smaller plug or
stopper in the spout. The curved form of the
horn fit around the waist of its user comfort-
ably, enabling easy access when worn with a
long strap over the shoulder. Whether for
hunting or fighting, all you needed to do was
Powder Horn of Amos Barrett, circa tip a little gunpowder into your weapon and you were good to go.
1774. 1994.63 Concord Museum During the mid-eighteenth century, ongoing and successive military
Collection, Gift of Frederick S. campaigns between the British, French, and the Native peoples of
Richardson, Peter H. Richardson, and North America brought powder horns and their owners into uncharted
Joan R. Fay (1994). territory. Within the camps and forts of northern New England,
upstate New York, and the Great Lakes region, a formal artistic tradi-

Powder Horns: The Mark of a Revolutionary Man tion of horn carving began to emerge. On a very basic level, decorated
powder horns became a means of personal identification for soldiers.
Inscribing one’s name into a horn helped distinguish one horn from
Powder horns, vessels made from ox or cattle horns, carried another as they were filled with black powder from a large keg or barrel.
gunpowder and were an essential part of colonial American military Lower-ranked troops could not always read or write, so having one’s
culture. They could also be unique works of art, engraved with name on an object symbolized education and status. The final product
ornate designs and inscriptions made by professional artisans working was not always a success as many powder horns contain phonetic or
in military camps. Their owners, many of them simple farmers and misspelled names of their owners.
townspeople, observed and participated in the events that would shape
a young nation. They were at once personal and professional artifacts, The Craft and the Art
documenting not only the violence and impact of military conflict but
also the humanity and imagination of its participants. Let’s take a closer
look, shall we? While some soldiers carved their own horns, it was far more
common to seek out a professional carver, many of whom were
Early Period Powder Horns engravers and followed the troops to various forts and battlefields.
Mostly anonymous, these makers could complete a horn relatively
quickly and faced high demand from soldiers hoping to match the
In Colonial America, as elsewhere in the early modern Atlantic fashionableness of their peers. Carvers first sketched out their design
world, cow horns were used for a variety of purposes. People drank out and then used a knife, graver, or needle to incise the pattern on the
of horn cups, brushed their hair with horn combs, and dipped their ink surface of the horn. Soot or veggie dyes might be applied to create a
into horn containers. As waterproof and fireproof vessels that could be polychrome or shaded effect.

Fight at Concord Bridge, April 19th, 1775,
by Don Troiani, historicalartprints.com

November 2020 17