Civil War Powder Horns?

[GreyWhiskers]

Were powder horns widely used during the Civil War and how would they look? Were they decorated like 18th century horns? Thanks in advance. GW

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

They were widely used by civilians at the time of the Civil War and into the early 20th Century but did not see much use by the military in that war or at any other time. Pre-rolled cartridges were more commonly used in military service from the earliest days of firearms. Decorated horns have always been with us but the decoration was of a very different style depending on the era. The average civilian horn of the 1860s would have been plain, often very plain with no decoration.

 

[George Holton]

I have a revolutionary war powder horn and it has lots of Masonic emblems and the mans name on it.

 

[rice1817]

I have read accounts of southern militia units early in the war, primarily in the western theater, showing up for battle with flintlock muskets, shot pouches and powder horns. Armies of both sides in the western theater were always the last to receive up to date equipment. Militiamen providing their own arms would not likely have access to pre-made paper cartridges and would have loaded from the pouch and horn

Mid 19th Century horns were not nearly so ornate as their golden-age predecessors. I would imagine a horn carried into battle by this time would have been a simple home-made horn with nothing much more than a nailed on butt and whittled plug, maybe with the owner's initials crudely scratched on.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Powder horns are more commonly seen in use by the South, which relied on local militias, armed with their own personal firearms, in so many of the early years of the war. As the war carried on, the South acquired military style guns from Britain, and France, and with them, paper cartridges, and cartridge boxes which were issued to their Armies. Fewer private guns remain in use, and along with them, powder horns were left at home. The Further West you go, and particularly in the battles fought West of the Mississippi River, the more likely you are to encounter Southern Militia using their own guns and powder horns. Uniforms and military rifles and cartridges seem to have been more available in Virgina and along the East Coast. Remember that battles were fought along rivers or RailRoad lines in order to facilitate logistics and supply. The South had very few railroad lines at the beginning of the War, and that hampered its efforts to supply its troops all through the war.

 

[mazo kid]

I don't know if they were WIDELY used, but I have an original horn that was carried in the C.W. by a Union soldier. It is quite plain, having a single, finely incised line about 1/2" below the butt end and a slight "bulb" on the stopper end. The butt end is also flat and covered with horn, it is even with the end of the horn so there must be a wooden plug beneath it. There is no provision for attaching a strap so it must have just been carried in a pouch or knapsack.

 

[brubincam]

how about a picture :thumbsup:

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

mazo kid , sounds like a salt horn? No reason for him to carry powder that way, the Union (and Confederate) soldier was amply provided with cartridges for his gun.

 

[rice1817]

John Burns, a 70 year old veteran of the war of 1812, is said to have presented himself to the commander of a Pennsylvania regiment at Gettysburg bearing a flintlock musket and powder horn. However, he carried a borrowed Enfield into battle.

 

[Rat Trapper]

I think you may be correct in thinking it is a salt horn.

 

[mazo kid]

OK, here are some pictures. The ruler is 14" long. You may be right about it being a powder horn as it is very clean inside. Also, I was mistaken about the incised line around the butt end; that is actually the fishing line I am using to hang some horns and flasks on the wall and this was high up, couldn't see it very well.

Emery

 

[omarick1948]

I don't know if you have a powder horn or salt horn, but horn containers for a lot of things were used!.....Kind of the Tupperware or Rubbermaid of the times!

 

[mazo kid]

The stopper is old, but I'm not sure if it is original to the horn. It just doesn't seem to have the same feel to it as the rest of the work on the horn. The old piece of paper that came with the horn just stated that it was carried in the C.W. Emery

 

[AeroncaTAL]

Rick,
It doesn't seem in the pictures that this horn has any sort of rear strap attachment. I would think that a powder horn would. Do you know if salt horns generally did not have any strap attachments?
Scott

 

[mazo kid]

41 Aeronca, you are correct in that there is no provision for a strap on the horn. I mentioned this on page 1 of this post and suggested that it must have been carried in a pouch, pocket, or haversack. Like so many old things, if they could only talk..... Emery

 

[AeroncaTAL]

Methinks that if I was in a battle, I would not want to be fumbling in a haversack for the powder. I'd want the horn to be on a strap, at my side and ready for use. Leads me to believe that this horn carried something other than powder. You're right, if it could only talk...
Scott

 

[jethro224]

Maybe it was gonna be his new powder horn but he still wasn't quite finished... :hmm:
Hard tellin'. Still pretty cool. :thumbsup:

 

[Pigman]

What documentation do you have that that horn was carried in the war?

Many items are passed down with stories that are not quite right.

I have never seen a picture from the CW that shows a powder horn but they could have been used.

Thanks,
Mark C. Foster

 

[mazo kid]

I got it from an estate auction, came with a very old, hand written in ink, statement that so-and-so (a relative)carried the horn in the C.W. I've got the paper here.....somewhere.

 

[76monza]

Just a another thought...maybe it was a powder storage horn. Not meant to be carried around, thus no need for strap attachments

Smokeydays