Notes
Powder horns were commonly used throughout the colonial period in America to carry gunpowder for individual use while hunting or during battle. This powder horn is said to have belonged to John Fontaine (1750–1792) and was perhaps used during the American Revolutionary War. John Fontaine was a Revolutionary War soldier who served as the captain of the Henry County Militia and was present during the battles of Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina, and Yorktown, Virginia. He married Martha “Patsey” Henry (1755–1818), a daughter of Patrick Henry and his first wife, Sarah Shelton (1738–1775). John and Martha lived at Leatherwood plantation in Henry County, Virginia.
After John Fontaine’s ownership, the horn was passed down two generations before coming into the possession of cousins Marian Dandridge Fontaine (1840-1913) and John Hairston (Giles) Redd (1835–1902)—both of whom were great-grandchildren of John Fontaine. Marian and John had no children, and the powder horn was given to their nephew, John Winston Fontaine (1887–1975), who then gave it to his niece, Elisabeth Fontaine Ragland (1909–1979). Elisabeth’s son, Charles James Ragland Jr. (1933–2021) assumed ownership of the powder horn, which he stated in a 1983 letter to the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation was kept in his mother’s trunk alongside letters telling of its history at Leatherwood.
In comparing this powder horn to others, particularly the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, its flush end plug and several nails likely date it to the 18th century.
Charles J. Ragland Jr., a Patrick Henry descendant, donated the powder horn on February 28, 1983.