The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1909-10-28
OLD POWDERA0RAS,
They Were Once important I'm
plements Of Warfare.
TREASURED AS HElRLooMs.

LANDED Down From Father to Son and
From Friend to Frisnd-Ensravsd
I'D ornsmsntsd, They Were Ussd ~
c;f,. instesd Of Jswslsd Swords.
uodern inventions have robbed war
,.re Of much of Its romance and the
soldier Of much Of his old time pictur
osoueness. Although the fewderhorn
a. nm implement Of war disappeared
,orr before the magazine gun Of today
VAS dreamed Of. II wasn't 10 very Ion.
400 as matter Of fact. that men
were carrying powderhorns. Some OF
The soldiers In the Mexican war. for
example. used them,
The powderhorns carried by the
lighters In the early days Of this coun-
try were often Of comparatively SIM
ole workmanship. but they were cher.
isbed and handed down from father
10 son and from friend to friend.
strange 10 say. though cherished In
this manner. collectors have bad
very hard time In locating any great
number OF the powderhorns used In
This country. aud this In spite OF the
large numbers used In the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries.
In the French aud Indian war tho
English and Americans carried 10000
powderhorns. II has been estimated.
10 say nothing Of the number carried
by those on the French side In the
Revolution there were, according 10
The hest estimates. about 10000 pow
derhorns IN use In the American
army without counting those on the
British side. The European troops had
long discarded them. OF course. bur
their colonial allies naturally were
equipped with them.
A few years ago Isaac !. Greenwood
presented 10 the New York Historical
society a collection Of water color pic
lures OF powderhorns be had found
allsIn existence.
Although the search was prosecuted
with great diligence. the number of pow
eerhorns nc .ually located and sketched
was not much more than 400. showing
how quickly the horns have been dis
appearing.
Powderhorns are supposed 70 have
come into use almost simultaneously
with fhe invention Of gunpowder. A
way had 10 be found 10 carry the pow
der aud keep n dry. and men quickly
found that there wasn't anything bet
ter or cheaper In medieval times fc'
this purpose than the horns OF an ami
NAL
They were In general use 10 the si-
tenth century and were brought q
this country by the. nrsf settlers Th'
oldest horn whose picture appears y
the collection was found near Schenec
isdy. \ =. and tearS ibr date ofisissi
II was geueraily the horns of ihei
own cattle that the farmer lighters o
Amerira used. The iass Of horn 4
novice .uIla!rrd toe usefulness Of 81
animal. ard bHils frequently wer
called upon 20 make the saeritce. Snr
horns were easily obtained nI
wouldn't russ md could he carried !
the rain aud through Strains withou
the pawdrr IN them getting wet.
They we're always worn under ~
lcfl arm ~ 4 strap that went over W
right shoulder. the curve IN the nor
conforming 10 the shape 81 the bod
and serving 10 keep 4 out % the wa
Of the wearvr There was q siopple
the small end. aud without being uI
slung the powder could b. pound I'M
the right hand and thence Into the 81
Boiled. srraprd and cleaned and G,
ored with ap orange or yellow dy
which was the way moSi of the pow
derhorus werr prepared. they iel
themselves more rradliy to ornament
iinn by the owner than did any 9th
part % his equipment. and u IL ti'
fact which has made them particular
Interesting as historical relies Adml
Ing friends in the days when powds
horns were In general use INSTEAD
presenting hero with nm rngrnvl
sword gave him hnciy decorate
powdefhorn
Sometimes the horns were made
order and the engraving done by ~
fcssionals Many ~ these hnrils We
beautifully eaiorcd. the most pnpill
shade lslug sort 81 orange int
Perhaps the most remarkable exa
ples ~ the engraving are 20 be se
on the geographical horns whUse y
lures apprnr IN the Greenwood coll
ton These geographical horlis 70
the place Of pocket maps for the en-
pioneers. They were the work OF y
fessional engrnvers 10 places Ike y
York and Boston.
Some ~ he horns IN the collect
contain practically complete maps
the old trails and waterways Due
the best ~ these bears the date
i1'ii mud shows New YORK With
harbor filled with ships and New "
state rs far Ms Lake ChannlaIn Z
Ontario The Hudson valley. with
settlements. nl,r~nrr on most OF
geographical horns discovered I
horn shows the country between y
hbethiown aud Pitssburr. each u
settlement being carefully noted
The hens thus Oiled n dnml,Ie \