Description:
Powder horn inscribed: “Richardson / Miner’s Horn / Dat’d at Le Galatte Aug. 29 1760 / Sir I hope you hant forgo t / Always to strike when Th’Iron hot.” La Galet is near Montreal on the St. Lawrence River. The Miner (Minor?) horn, probably made by its owner Richarson Miner (1736-1797), is characterized by a deeply incised floral design of stylized tulips meticulously executed by a competent engraver. The proportions and the shading exceed all other horns from the French and Indian War. Jim Dresslar's book illustrates another powder horn with similar decoration made for a Stephen Tambling at Crown Point in 1761, which is attributed to Richarson Miner. Richardson Miner served as regimental armorer in Colonel Nathan Whiting's Second Connecticut Regiment, 7th Company, from April 5 to November 9, 1760. At home in Stratford, Connecticut, Minor worked as a clockmaker and silversmith; his understanding of metallurgy equipped him to serve as an armorer maintaining the weapons of his comrades. Historic Deerfield has a tall clock by Minor (HD 69.0288) that also dates about 1760. The phonetic spelling of Minor's last name is not unusual for this period.

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