Engineer musket (1st Michigan)

[major bill]

It has seen better days. I take it the name plate and such may have been added post War?

 

[WJC]

I would guess post-war. Pretty elaborate personalization. Any other photos of the rest of the piece?

 

[major bill]

Maybe is I look. The State of Michigan brought this out for a temporary display at the Michigan History Museum. It may never be on display again.

 

[WJC]

From my very limited experience, it seems fairly common for soldiers to identify their arms by carving initials, perhaps unit names or other identifying information on the stock. I visualize a bored soldier sitting around a campfire occupying his time by making his weapon his own.
Brass plates, etc, seem to have been added later. I visualize a veteran or his family member applying these to record their history for future generations.
One non-CW example I am unsure of is British service muskets marked with numbered brass plates, apparently to identify the unit to which they were issued. Perhaps some US units followed this practice as well.

 

[major bill]

This musket is just short of being a relic.

 

[Ray Ball]

It is certainly post war in my opinion. The Engineer device used by enlisted men is significantly larger, provided the color is correct (yellow metal)-the variant, the pewter castle on the officers insignia, centered between a laurel and wreath, is smaller. Both have further detail and the windows are cut out. This looks very much like the insignia adopted as for 1870s-1880s. That's my advice on the matter.