What is this? Cut-down Altered M. 1816 Musket?

[limberbox]

The county museum in the small town where I grew up has provided photos of a recent contribution with a request for help in identifying it. The rural county supplied companies to at least four Union infantry and one cavalry regiments.

The gun appears to me to be a Model 1816 (type II) musket made at Springfield in 1827, subsequently altered to percussion using the cone-in-barrel method, and at some point cut down to just in front of the second barrel band (likely post-war?). "U.S." is stamped behind the trigger guard and a few sub-inspector initials are present, but it is hard to tell from the pictures whether it had acceptance cartouches. It is missing the cone and the area around it is so rough I could not see proof marks. I do not have dimensions but below are several pictures. Can anyone provide help in further identifying it?

 

[Jeff in Ohio]

I think you've identified it well. Note that hole in the wood back of the sideplate - it would not have been there when this was made, and I bet it was created when this was fastened to something for display (a board or a wall). If some owner was mounting it for display in in, say, a local bar, or the GAR hall, or the local history center, they would want to fasten it so that it could not easily be taken down. Sometimes you'll find two holes drilled through the wood, one in the butt, and one in the forestock, so the gun could be nailed or screwed to the wall.
Now, from all those paint spots on this, looks like it was not moved out of way of ceiling or wall painting...

 

[limberbox]

Thanks, Jeff

Tom