Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

Powder Horn with Masonic Symbols
1863
Henry S. P. Rollins (1832-1869)
USA: Texas, Tyler
Horn, wood, brass
overall: 13-1/2"long
Special Acquisitions Fund
77.11.2

Powder Horn with Masonic symbols; has incised decoration; designs include ship, eagle, and shield, cannon, keelboat, anchor, Indian, cornucopia, pork barrel, stylized vines; Masonic symbols include columns, willows, trowel, square and compass, gavel, hour glass, crossed swords, all-seeing eye, etc.; inscribed "H.S.P. Rollins/ Prisoner of War/ TYLER/ Texas./ Captured at/ Sabine Pass/ Sept. 8th/ 1863." turned wood plug with acorn finial (missing); plug held in place by brass brads (missing).

After the Union lost a battle on the Sabine River in 1863, Confederate forces captured Henry S. P. Rollins (1832-1869) along with 350 others. The Confederates brought the Union sailors to nearby Camp Ford in Tyler, Texas. One prisoner later described the camp as: "… four acres--barren of timber and grass. Sand blows desperately." Rollins, who survived his imprisonment, recorded the history of his arrest on this powder horn: “Captured at Sabine Pass Sept 8th 1863.” According to records at the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire, Rollins belonged to Sart in the East Lodge, No. 59, in his home town of Exeter, New Hampshire. For further information, see blog post, June 25, 2009 http://nationalheritagemuseum.typepad.com/library_and_archives/2009/06/pow-powder-horn.html