This is medal may be a variation on the medals issued by the state of Missouri to volunteers who served in the Spanish American War in 1920. This particular specimen was issued to Martin Schuster of the 6th Missouri Volunteer Infantry.
The front of the medal shows the crest of the state of Missouri with
"WAR WITH SPAIN" above and "MDCCCXX 1898" below.
The back of the medal reads "MISSOURI VOLUNTEER" / "THE STATE OF MISSOURI FOR SERVICE."
The Roman numerals convert to 1820, the year that the Missouri Compromise was passed by the U.S. Congress admitting Missouri to the union as a state, sadly as a "slave state."
In 1920 the state of Missouri issued medals to veterans of World War One, the 1914 Mexican War, and the Spanish American War. The design of each was slightly different. A newspaper account of the time describes the Spanish American War version of the medal as follows:
"The medals awarded to the Missouri Volunteers who served in the war with Spain has on the obverse side the state coat of arms with the words 'War with Spain' above and the date 1898 below. On the reverse side are the words 'State of Missouri, U.S. Volunteers,' and in the center inclosed [sic.] in a laurel wreath the words 'By the State for Service.' The ribbon of this medal is of blue with a yellow stripe one-fourth of an inch wide down the center and a red stripe one-sixteenth of an inch wide on either side of the yellow. Between the red and the blue is a white stripe one-sixteenth of an inch wide. The yellow with red on either side signifies the colors of Spain and with the blue of the ribbon the colors of the state flag and the national colors are shown."
The articles notes that eight thousand of the medals were issued
veterans of the Spanish American War.
It will be noted that the wording on the specimen above is slightly
different from the newspaper description of 1920. Notably, the medal
pictured above does not state "U.S. Volunteers." Perhaps changes were
made as the "U.S. Volunteers" wording may have created confusion. The
Missouri troops did see federal service, but in the terminology of 1898,
U.S. Volunteers were different from state volunteers. U.S. Volunteers
were those who served in the 1st through 10th U.S. Volunteer Infantry
regiments, the 1st through 3rd U.S. Volunteer Cavalry regiments and the
1st through 3rd U.S. Volunteer Engineer regiments only. Schuster's
6th Missouri Volunteer Infantry
was not a U.S. Volunteer Infantry regiment. Also, the medal would also
not have been correct for those who served in the Navy or in the regular
army. The intent is unclear. We do not know if the state of Missouri
intended to include its citizens who served in the regular army, the
navy or the U.S. volunteer regiments. The state definitely
intended to include regiments such as the 6th
Missouri Volunteer Infantry. Maybe the wording was
changed before the medals were actually issued or maybe there was a
second issuance.
Notably, the 1920 photos with the newspaper article show the medal but
the design shown varies slightly from the description. The photos show
the back of the medal reading "NATIONAL (unknown word covered)
MISSOURI." With the laurel wreath containing the words "THE STATE OF
MISSOURI FOR SERVICE" as in the speciemen above. Below the laurel wreath
the medal in the 1920 photo reads "U.S. VOLUNTEER" which the sample
above does not.
The ribbon also varies slightly from the description in that the two
white stripes are wider than the red lines rather than being the same
width. This probably is an error in the description because the
associated photo in the 1920 article does show the ribbon being the same
as shown on the specimen above. Also, though the description does not
mention the Roman numerals, the 1920 photo do show them.
It is likely that the medal shown above, which was owned by Martin Schuster of the 6th
Missouri Volunteer Infantry. likely shows the final iteration in
the medal's design.
Photos of Martin Schuster's medal was contributed by Patricia Eggers.
"State Medals for Men Who Served in Three of U.S. Wars are Ready,"
Kansas City Post (Kansas City, Missouri). January 26, 1920, 7.