In 1855, the son of a Revolutionary War soldier, John Fairbanks, applied for his father’s unclaimed pension. He had no proof of his father’s service so he submitted his powder horn as evidence. In the U.S. Pension Office files there were depositions from veterans describing the engraved patterns on this horn. The evidence resulted in a pension of $36.54 per year awarded to his family. This is on display at the National Museum of the United States Army.
