John Bush was a skilled black craftsman who served in the colonial militia during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). This ornately decorated powder horn, maded for Colonel Nathan Whiting, an officer during the war, is believed to have been carved by Bush. The inscription on the horn reads: "Colo Nathan Whiting Esqr / His Horn made at Fort Wm Henry / The 11th of Octbr, A D 1756 / When Bows and weighty Spears were us'd. in / Fight. Twere nervous limbs Declrd. A man of might / But Now Gun powder Scorns such strength to Own / And heroes not by Limbs but Souls are Shown / War." Click here for details of the inscription and designs.

Image: John Bush (attr.), Col. Nathan Whiting's Powder Horn, 1756. Courtesy The Connecticut Historical Society Museum, Hartford, Connecticut.