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19TH CENTURY FRONTIER RIFLEMANS
SHOULDER POUCH AND POWDER HORN ORIGINAL SET AS FOUND
HAS A GREAT LOOK FOR DISPLAY WITH ANY MUZZLELOADING
RIFLE, MUSKET OR TRADE GUN USED ON THE FRONTIER VERY
NICE SPECIMEN:
Dating from the period of
Western expansion as the restless settlers ventured
forth in the early 1800s from the Eastern Seaboard and
over the Allegheny Mountains, and in later decades as
their sons and grandsons explored the wild lands west of
the Mississippi River, this handmade Shoulder Pouch and
Powder Horn has for all appearances survived intact as
an original set.
The very simple one piece pouch is fashioned of what
appears to be native or hand tanned leather which I
suspect is deer, elk or antelope hide. Measuring 7
wide and 7 high, the pouch is constructed from a single
strip of hide which was folded over to form the flap
which covers almost the entire pouch, and then stitched
along both sides to form the body of the pouch. The
strap is a piece of heavy bridle leather likely salvaged
from a piece of draft animal harness and it is attached
to the upper rear corners of the pouch with heavy
stitches. The flap is held close with a hand fashioned
leather button, formed by rolling a strip of leather
back on itself and feeding the resulting knot through a
slit in the strip. The button engages a simple slit in
the center of the bottom edge of the flap.
The pouch and strap are in very good condition, showing
only very minimal and expected - evidence of aging.
The leather of both pieces is supple without any
hardening or weak points, and the surfaces are overall
smooth with no crazing or flaking. The lower reach of
the flap closure slit at the lower edge of the flap has
separated with time and wear and was restored with the
application of a small piece of leather glued to the
reverse of the flap. This is an adequate repair, but it
could be improved upon if the new owner decided to do
so. As it is, it does not detract from the appearance
of the pouch.
The horn, suspended from the strap by old leather
thongs, measures 9 along the outside of the curve (not
including the plugs), and the base plug measures 2 Ό by
2. The surface of the horn is naturally polished from
being handled and carried for many years, and it has a
nicely aged patina, definitely having the feel of an old
horn. The horn was scraped to reduce the thickness of
the horn wall which not only reduced unnecessary weight,
but made the horn translucent so the shooter could hold
his horn up to sunlight and check the amount of powder
remaining in the horn. The base plug is hand fitted and
secured with what appears to be iron pins, and the wood
shows wear and has a feel commensurate with the wear on
the horn. The plug at the spout end is hand carved and
from all appearances, is original to the horn. Overall,
the horn is very solid and has a wonderful appearance.
There are additional leather thongs attached to, and
hanging from, the carrying strap which probably held the
various tools and implements the original owner used to
load and maintain his rifle items such as a bullet
starter, a bullet block holding pre-patched balls, a
priming horn for a flintlock or a capper for a
percussion, and a vent or cone pick.
The leather accoutrements carried by civilians and
dating from the earliest days of our Nation had several
factors working against their survival in order to be
available to modern collectors. At the risk of stating
the obvious, by virtue of the fact they were the first
accoutrements of their kind carried in North America,
they have had to survive as much as 200 plus years of
wear and tear and they have been subject to less than
ideal storage. Those that were not used to destruction
or disposed of as no longer necessary, and survived to
be forgotten hanging on a peg in a barn or shed, there
was no structured surplus system that facilitated the
survival and marketing of the wide range of antique
military accoutrements available today. Civilian
accoutrements were produced on small farms or at the
fireside along the immigrant trails and there was no
record of their manufacture or their makers. Like so
many of the other trappings carried or worn by the
civilian frontiersman, these pouches and horns were only
of value for as long as they were needed. When the guns
these sets serviced were replaced by breech loading,
fixed cartridge arms, these pouches and horns were cast
off and succumbed to the passage of time, leaving
relatively the few that exist today in public and old
established private collections.
It is very unusual for one of these sets to appear on
the market, especially in such respectable condition,
and this scarce and very collectable early Shoulder
Pouch and Powder Horn Set will make an significant
addition to even an advanced accoutrement collection and
it would display very nicely with an early American long
gun. (0825) $850
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