Project completed: A powder horn to go with my Brown Bess flintlock. (The Brown Bess was the standard issue musket for British troops and also widely used by Continental forces during the Revolutionary War. ) It is a tribute to a bit of local history, detailed below and in the captions. All the shaping and finishing was done by hand. The scrim work was done with knives and ink.
A little background for those who don't know: Fishkill, NY, was home to the Fishkill Supply Depot. Established in 1776 after the Continental Army evacuated NYC, it was THE storehouse and depot for the Army for the duration of the Revolution. Fishkill lay at the crossroads of the Albany Post Road (today's US 9) and a major inland route of communication between New England and those colonies south of NY. Just a few miles from the Husdon River, protected by a 1500 foot high ridge to the west and Wiccopee Pass to the south, the flats just south of the village would be transformed into a military hub of storehouses, barracks, and hospitals. The State Congress met briefly in the Episcopal and Dutch churches before moving on to Kingston. The Marques de Lafayette spent tine recuperating at the Brinkerhoff home, which also hosted visits from George Washington. John Jay also resided nearby. Numerous mills served the area, and the Van Wyck home served as HQ for Washington and the Depot.
Today, much of the Depot has been developed, with more being threatened. The Episcopal and Dutch churches still stand, as does the Brinkerhoff home. The Van Wyck house was spared demolition when I-84 was built and is today home to the Fishkill Historical Society. Sadly, the John Jay house was demolished when IBM built a manufacturing facility in the mid 1980s.
It was customary for soldiers to personalize their horns. They were collected, refilled, and returned, so it was necessary to identify them in some form. It was also common to mark them with where they served, with rhymes, patriotic phrases, maps, or other artwork. My horn does not follow any particular one but takes inspiration from surviving examples. Having grown up in East Fishkill, which was part of Fishkill until the mid 1800s, honoring local history in this manner just seemed appropriate. (There is also a little Masonic symbolism, as some horns from Freemasons are known to have.)
For more history, google Fishkill Supply Depot.
Overview of the horn
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My real name is on the horn. Why not? My family came over in 1635, and Jeffrey is a period name. I spent my first 22 years in East Fishkill, which was part of the Town of Fishkill until the mid 1800s. The phrase under is from an actual Rev War horn.
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The map depicts the Depot, roads, and several major landmarks. Mount Beacon was used for signal fires, its peak being visible for over 30 miles north and west up the interior of the Hudson Valley. (The Hudson River and Fishkill Landing (now part of the City of Beacon) would be just to the left if the map continued.) The Dutch and Episcopal Churches (on the left and right respectively) are shown, where they still stand to this day, at the crossroads of the east-west road and the Albany Post Road, with the Brinkerhoff home a few miles east on what is today Rte 52, and the John Jay house was just a couple miles further out. The Van Wyck house is there, opposite the Depot (represented by the rectangles.) The south barracks and a set of batteries guarded Wiccopee Pass.
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A little Masonic symbolism. I put it here because it seemed like a good spot, not fully realizing I was placing the Eye of Providence to watch over the Depot. I think Bro. Washington would have approved.
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Topic: Rev War Powder Horn (Read 1657 times)