(GA.264) Powder Horn
ARTIFACT NUMBERCCN 909433
Country of OriginContinental Army
Dateca. 1775
MATERIAL(S)Horn, Wood
Dimensions3 1/4 x 3 1/4 x 13 1/4 in. (8.3 x 8.3 x 33.7 cm)
Credit LineU.S. Army Artifact, CCN 909433
DescriptionThis is a powder horn with a twine strap. “The plan of Boston engraved on this horn shows several churches, the mill pond and the long wharf. Across the bay is Charlestown, which is unfinished as is the rest of the horn. Because the decorative vine-like borders engraved at the butt end and at the edge of the scalloped section of this horn have been completed in a very artistic manner, it indicates that the whole horn would have been exceptionally well carved if it had been finished. The blank horn with which the carver started is an unusual example of a nearly perfectly proportioned cow’s horn. The body of the horn has an attractive curve with the main section a cream color and a dark faceted spout with a raised ring that is scalloped.ProvenanceThe Siege of Boston was the eleven-month period from 19 April 1775 to 17 March 1776 when American militiamen effectively contained British troops within Boston, and after the Battle of Bunker Hill, to the peninsula of Charlestown. The American, or Provincial, armed forces, were initially called the New England Army (formed from the militiamen who answered the alarm on 19 April 1775) and then became part of the Continental Army when it was established in June 1775. During the Siege many residents moved out of Boston, and some Loyalists from the surrounding countryside moved into town. Conditions within the town were harsh for all who remained; although the British maintained control of Boston Harbor, provisions dwindled while they waited for supply ships to arrive. The Siege continued until George Washington, commander of the Continental Army, seized and fortified Dorchester Heights, just outside Boston, on the night of 4 March 1776. Using artillery captured by an expedition led by Henry Knox from Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point, Washington's forces aimed cannons at British ships anchored in the harbor. On 17 March, the British were finally forced to evacuate Boston. This is a rare horn, as map horns like this were not frequently made during the Revolutionary War.
