Original 1812 Connecticut political pamphlet issued during the War of 1812:

Message of His Excellency Governour Griswold, to the General Assembly, at Their Special Session, August 25, 1812, with the Documents Accompanying the Same.

New-Haven: Printed by Walter & Steele, 1812.

An important contemporary Connecticut document concerning Governor Roger Griswold’s dispute with the federal government over control and deployment of the Connecticut militia during the War of 1812.

Following the declaration of war, the Madison administration sought to place portions of the Connecticut militia under federal command. Governor Griswold resisted, arguing that the constitutional circumstances permitting the federal government to call out the state militia had not been met.

Griswold called the Connecticut General Assembly into special session in August 1812, and this pamphlet prints his message to the legislature along with the accompanying official correspondence and documents relating to the controversy.

The dispute centered on the constitutional division of authority between the states and federal government and the circumstances under which the militia could be called into federal service, making this an interesting early American document relating to the War of 1812, states’ rights, federalism, and Connecticut political history.

The pamphlet also bears an early ownership inscription of “Aaron Hall.” No specific identification of this owner is being claimed.

Roger Griswold (1762–1812) was a Connecticut statesman, former member of the United States House of Representatives, and Governor of Connecticut from 1811 until his death in October 1812, only weeks after this special legislative session.

The edition is bibliographically recorded as a 22-page octavo. Please examine the photographs carefully for the exact pagination and condition of this particular copy.

Original 1812 printing, not a reproduction.

Condition shows expected age and handling for an early 19th-century pamphlet. Please see photographs for toning, foxing, staining, edge wear, binding/stitching condition, ownership inscriptions, and any other defects.

An appealing original War of 1812-era Connecticut pamphlet documenting an important early dispute over state militia authority and the constitutional power of the federal government.