Fallout from the Missouri ‘Hessians’ as told by a musket
From Springfield Armory: This Model 1861 Springfield rifle-musket was a battlefield pick up during the Civil War. Prior to that, it had ended up in a Confederate Soldiers hands who carved into the right hand stock the words: “The Avenger of EMMEY SUMMERS who was murdered, by the Hessians in St. Louis. (MO.) May 10, 61 CSA.”
The left hand stock has “Alice”
Why Summers?
On 20 April 1861, a Southern sympathizing mob in Liberty, Missouri, raided the Liberty Arsenal and stole 1,000 muskets. Soon after, a Confederate force, aided by the Missouri Governor, made plans to attach the much larger St. Louis Arsenal. This came to a head on 10 May when 6,000 Missouri Volunteers, many of which were German immigrants, and a small contengent of Federal troops under U.S. Army Captain Nathaniel Lyon, captured 669 Confederate prisoners at Camp Jackson and marched them to St Louis. In St. Louis, anger boiled over and the Union Volunteers were attacked. 28 people died in the riots that took days to quiet.
One of those killed was Emmey Summers.
Conceivably, this stolen Model 1861, quickly ended up in Confederate hands and was used against the Union forces in the riots.
For what its worth, Lyon (USMA 1841), rapidly promoted, did not last long during the Civil War, being the first general killed in the conflict at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek on 18 Aug 1861.