Richard Musser was born on February 6, 1829, in Claysville, Harrison County, Kentucky, and was educated at Cynthiana, Kentucky. He moved to Brunswick, Missouri in 1849, and a year later to Trenton; he returned to Brunswick in 1854, was admitted to the bar, and began a law practice.

Lieutenant Colonel Musser of the Missouri State Guard was appointed Judge Advocate-General of the Third Division on June 23, 1861; he resigned on March 27, 1862. He assumed command of the 8th Missouri Infantry Battalion, known as Musser’s Battalion, and was later promoted to colonel and placed in command of the 9th Missouri Infantry Regiment (Reorganized). He fought in the Red River campaign and in the latter stages of General Frederick Steele’s Camden Expedition.

After the war Musser moved to St. Louis and practiced law for twelve years; in 1877 he returned to Brunswick.

Musser successfully prosecuted a claim against the Mexican government for the murders of General Mosby Parsons and several other Missourians. The settlement was reportedly $143,000.

Musser died in St. Joseph, Missouri, in November 1898.

Carte-de-Visite by Hoelke & Benecke, St. Louis, Mo.

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 31585