Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1909-08-25
OLD POWDERHORNS.
They Were Once important I'M
plementS of Warfare.
TREASURED AS HEIRL0OMS.

Handed Down From Father 70 Son and
From Friend to Friend-Ensrave5
ans ornamenteS, They Were Used as
CITES instead Of Jeweled Swords.
Modern inventions have robbed war
fare Of much OF its romance and the
soldier Of much Of his old time pictur-
cSqueness. Although the powderhorn
IS an implement OF war disappeared
long before the magazine gun OF today
was dreamed Of. 81 wasn't so very long
ago. rs a matter Of f3ct. that men
were carrying powderhorns some OF
The soldiers in the Mexican war. for
example. used them.
The powdcrhorns carried by the
fighters in the early days Of this coun-
try were often OF comparatively sim
PIE workmanship, but they were cher
ished and handed down from father
10 son and from friend 10 friend.
Strange 10 say. though cherished fin
this manner. collectors have had
very hard time 81 locating any great
number Of the powderhorns used in
this country. and this in spite OF the
large numbers used In the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries.
In the French and Indian war the
English and Americans carried 10000
powderhorns. IL has been estimated.
TO say nothing OF the number carried
by those on the French side. IN the
Revolution there were, according 70
hs 81 ~
derhorns IN use IN the American
army without counting those on the
British side. The European troops had
long discarded them. OF course. but
their colonial allies naturally were
equipped With them
\ Few years ago Isaac J. Greenwood
presented Co the New York Historical
society a collection. OF water color pic
lures OF powderhorns he had found
stiil in existence.
Although the search was prosecuted
with great diligence. the number Of pow
derhorns actually located and sketched
was not much more than 400. showing
how quickly the horns have been dis
appearing.
Powderhorns are supposed 10 have
come into use almost simultaneously
with the invention OF gunpowder. 4
way had 10 be found 10 carry the pow
der and keep il dry. and men quickly
found that there wasn't anything bet
ter or cheaper in medieval times for
this purpose than the horns OF an anil
NAL.
They were In general use in the six
tecnth century and were brought 10
this country by the first settlers. The
Oldest horn whose picture appears in
the collection was found near Science
tady, y. Y, and bears the date Of 1858.
Ii was generally the horns Of their
own cattle that the farmer fighters Of
America used. The loss OF n horn in
nowise impaired the usefulness Of the
animal. and bulls frequently We're
called upon to make the sacrifice. Such
horns were easily obtained and
wouldn't rust and could be carried in
the rain and through streams without
the powder in them getting wet.
They were always worn under the
left arm by q strap that went over the
right shoulder, the curve in the horn
conforming 10 the shape of the body
and serving TO keep it out Of the way
OF the wearer. There was n stopple in
the small end, and without being I'M
slung the powder could be poured into
the right hand and thence into the gun
Boiled. scraped and cleaned and col
ored with an orange or yellow dye.
which was the way most Of the pow
derhorns were prepared. they lent
themselves more readily 10 ornamental
ton by the owner than did any other
part OF his equipment. and IL is this
fact which has made them particularly
interesting as historical relics Admir-
ing friends la the days when powder
horns were in general use instead OF
presenting a hero with an engraved
sword gave him a finely decorated
powderhorn.
Sometimes the horns were made 10
order and the engraving done By pro
feSsiouals Many 90 these horns were
beautifully cOlored the most popular
shade being Il sort OF orange tint
Perhaps the most remarkable exam
pies Of the engraving are TO be seen
on the geographical horns whose pic
lures appear in the Greenwood collec-
ton. These geographical horns took
the place OF pncGet maps for tie early
pioneers. They were the work OF pro
fcSsional engravers in places like New
York and Boston.
Some OF the horns in the collection
contain practically complete maps Of
the old trails and waterways one Of
the best OF these bears the date Of
1867 and shows New York with its
harbor filed with ships and New York
state as far as Lake Champlain and
Ontario. The Hudson valley. with its
settlements. appears on most OF the
geographical horns discovered. One
horn shows the country between Eliz-
abethtown and Pittsburg. each little
settlement being carefully noted
The horns thus filed a double pur-
pose. supplying the traveller with n