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LOT 1219
Historic French & Indian War Map Engraved Lobed
Powder Horn Dated “1759” and Inscribed “Made at Ft.
Carillon for Capt. David Brewer” - This horn records an
important turning point in North American and world history:
the capture of Fort Carillon by the British military during the
French & Indian War in 1759 as the tide of the war turned
against the French, ultimately leading to the surrender of the
French North American colonies to the British, setting the
stage for territorial conflicts that helped lead to the American
Revolution, and ultimately to the United States seizing large
swaths of the continent during the fight for independence. The
horn is inscribed for Captain David Brewer, one of the leading
officers of the famous Rogers’ Ranger formed and led by Major
Robert Rogers. Though “provincial” troops were often looked
down upon by the British officer class, Rogers and his men
were successful using “irregular warfare” techniques suited
for fighting in the American woods against the French and
their native allies, and they earned fame that has remained
for centuries. At the Battle of Carillon on July 8, 1758, near
Fort Carillon, Rogers’ Rangers were among the men to
first engage the French in the battle, but the massively
outnumbered French and their native allies held off a
frontal assault by the British and their allies. However,
the Rangers returned with the British forces the following
year and captured the fort after skirmishing with the French
in the Battle of Ticonderoga. The French destroyed some
of the fort before fleeing, but it was left largely intact. The
British renamed the fort Ticonderoga soon thereafter based
on the name of the location, and the horn notably shows the
fort under this name with a British flag flying as well as the
nearby Fort Crown Point which was constructed after Carillon’s
capture. Fort Ticonderoga was also famously captured by the
Americans in 1775, and some of the cannons were taken all
the way to Boston for the siege. Brewer appears to be the
same David Brewer (1732-1799) of Palmer, Massachusetts, who
served as a colonel in 1775 and led the Patriot 9th Regiment
of Foot that served at Boston and ultimately became the 13th
Continental Regiment.
Fort Ticonderoga’s on-line collection notes state: “David Brewer
was a member of Rogers’ Rangers in the French and Indian
War; in 1759, he served as the captain of an independent
company of rangers within Rogers’ Rangers after several years
as a lieutenant. He is known to have taken up the American
cause during the Revolutionary War. He may have been
the Colonel David Brewer who served as the colonel
of a Worcester regiment in 1775 and was dismissed
from the army in October 1775 after being convicted
by a court-martial for misbehaviors including making his
soldiers work on his farm and asking for more blankets than
his regiment needed. He was also charged with obtaining
a lieutenant’s post for his son David Jr. and claiming that
his son was with the army when he was at home, but he
was acquitted of this charge.” They also noted that he was
“Present at Ticonderoga, July 6-8, 1758 (Battle of Carillon);
present near Ticonderoga, March 6/7, 1759;
probably present at Ticonderoga, July 23-August 4, 1759”. A
footnote in “Early Western Travels, 1748-1846” states: “Captain
David Brewer joined Rogers’ Rangers as ensign in 1756, and
three years later was promoted for gallant services on Lake
Champlain. He appears to have been one of the most trusted
officers of this company. Rogers left him to bring up the
troops to Presqu’ Isle, while he hastened on to Fort Pitt, at the
beginning of the expedition after the capitulation of Detroit,
he sent the larger portion of the Rangers back to Niagara
under Brewer’s command.”
The horn features a rendition of the U.K. coat of arms including
“HONI SOIT QUI MALY PENSE” on a garter over “DIER ET
MONS DROIT” on a banner along with “1759” towards the
spout end which features an engrailed edge and grooved
rope style raised ring and crosshatching. The spout may have
been longer originally. A rectangular panel towards the basal
end is inscribed “Made At Ft./CARILLON/for/CAPtn DAVID/
BREWER” and a patriotic shield and British grenadier are
engraved above. The remainder of the horn features a map of
Canada, including Montreal, Quebec, Halifax, Louisbourg, Fort
Ticonderoga (formerly Fort Carillon, renamed Fort Ticonderoga
after being captured by the British in 1759), Fort Crown Point,
Fort William Henry, Fort Oswego, Fort St. John (Ft. St. Jean),
and Fort Niagara, as well as animals, foliate designs. The horn
has a lobed base with four holes and a “V” shaped slot and
a sunken flat wooden plug with a partial hole towards the
center. A September 1759 dated rum horn for David Brewer
is also known. The horn is accompanied by a copy of “The
Annotated and Illustrated Journals of Major Robert Rogers”
annotated by Timothy Todish and “Notes on David Brewer of
Rogers Rangers.” The horn comes to us from Paul Clemente
of New York, and in an included notarized letter he states
that he received this horn from his close family friend Robert
Nittolo after Nittolo had sold the bulk of his collection to Fort
Ticonderoga. Mr. Nittolo informed him in writing, “Horns that
mention Fort Caroline (Carillon) are EXTREMELY SCARCE. It will
make a wonderful addition
to your growing Colonial
& Rev. War Collection,”
and he also noted, “It’s the
highest degree of artistic
workmanship on it. In fact,
there is a growing demand
for these.” Clemente had
worked with Nittolo on his
collection for years.
The Fall 2023 issue of “The
Haversack: The Newsletter
of Fort Ticonderoga” noted
that Nittolo died on August
23, 2023, and dedicated
much of his life to building
his collection of over 3,000
items related to French &
Indian War and American
Revolutionary War history, especially Fort Ticonderoga. They
note, “For Fort Ticonderoga this acquisition is perhaps the
most significant endeavor undertaken in the last 100+ years...
the addition of the Robert Nittolo Collection is transforming
Fort Ticonderoga’s holdings from world-class to world’s best
and positions Fort Ticonderoga as the leading center of study
for Colonial and Revolutionary War history. This remarkable
collection is now passed on to our museum, with the promise
that it will remain for posterity.” His collection was sold to the
historic site at the end of 2021, and Nittolo died peacefully
at the age of 82 on August 23, 2023. He was the co-author
of “British Military Long Arms in Colonial America” with Bill
Ahearn.
CONDITION: Very fine with distinct engraving, nice contrast
between the blackened inscriptions and the brown tinted
engraving, some minor spots of wear showing whiter horn,
small insect marks, absent spout plug, and light cracking in
the base plug. Overall, a stunning and remarkable horn that
remains as a testament to Robert Rogers and the famous
Rogers’ Rangers and in particular to Captain David Brewer
who led his own company of the rangers during the French
& Indian War. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a piece of
French & Indian War history! Mr. Clemente wrote, “The ‘Fort
Carillon Horn,’ as Mr. Nittolo called it, is an amazing artifact
from our early American History and the French & Indian
War, which is often called ‘The War That Made America.’ I feel
privileged to have been the horn’s caretaker and hope that the
new owner treasures it as much as Mr. Nittolo and I did.”
Provenance: The Robert Rittolo Collection; The Paul
Clemente Collection.
Estimate: 40,000 - 60,000
Major Robert Rogers 215