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Original publisher's beige paper wrappers with string binding. String is placed about center along spine. Text printed in black ink. Some pages unopened. 6" x 9 3/4." Thirty-one pages, complete. Pages are very clean and intact except for light age toning throughout, slight wear to extremities, and tiny chips and tears along edges. A Very Good copy. Please note: most of this pamphlet contains correspondence by other authors who are not President Franklin Pierce. It contains a brief message from Pierce that transmits reprinted correspondence and documents relating to Governor Isaac I. Stevens's declaration of martial law in Washington Territory in 1856. Each piece of correspondence is relatively brief. Among the authors of the correspondence are Pierce, William L. Marcy, George Gibbs, Stevens, John Nugen, H. A. Goldsborough, James Tilton, and Edward Lander. Isaac I. Stevens (1818-1862) was an American military officer and politician. Steven was appointed the governor of the newly formed Washington Territory in 1853 by President Pierce in which capacity he served until 1857. He also served as a Union brigadier general during the Civil War. He was killed in the Battle of Chantilly after picking up the fallen regimental colors and pursuing Confederate forces. He was posthumously promoted to Major General. However, much of Stevens's career is arguably overshadowed by his actions in Washington Territory. Amid the backdrop of the Yakima War, Stevens declared martial law in Pierce and Thurston Counties, Washington Territory under which anyone suspected to be aiding Indigenous people could be arrested. Martial law in Pierce County was of primary concern to local judges and other civil authorities who deemed Stevens's declaration and subsequent arrests of settlers to be invalid and unlawful. Chief Justice Francis A. Chenoweth ordered Stevens to release these settlers and ruled that he had no authority to issue martial law. Judge Edward Lander also found Stevens guilty in contempt of court. Lander was soon arrested by the Washington Territory Volunteers (WTV), an extralegal military force under the sole command of Stevens. Lander's arrest is sharply criticized in this pamphlet by attorneys George Gibbs and H. A. Goldsborough who contacted Secretary of State William L. Marcy about the matter. Stevens attempted to arrest Chenoweth at the Steilacoom Courthouse on May 24, 1856 using the WTV, but Chenoweth caught word of Stevens's plan and ordered the sheriff to enlist county residents to protect the courthouse. The U.S. Army from Fort Steilacoom had also been ordered to the courthouse to stop any potential violence. That same day, Stevens lifted martial law in Pierce and Thurston Counties, and the WTV withdrew without any incident. After being freed, Lander fined Stevens for contempt, but those fines were paid for by Steven's supporters, and Stevens infamously pardoned himself. However, Stevens received an official reprimand from both the territorial legislature and President Pierce. Stevens was a controversial figure in his time and has remained so among modern historians as he has been commended for his skill and tenacity on the battlefield and steadfast decisiveness but also denounced for his intimidation tactics used against opponents, relentless campaigns waged against Indigenous tribes, forging of treaties between Indigenous tribes, and unlawful actions taken in the events of and relating to his declaration of martial law in Washington Territory.
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