Famed mapmaker John C. Frémont – husband of Jesse Benton Frémont, the daughter of Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton – is court-martialed on accusations of mutiny. It happened because of a dispute between military leaders and the federal government over who should govern the state of California, where John and Jesse lived. President James Polk later reversed the court martial, though John – a celebrity figure for his wealth and adventures in the American West – resigned his military commission, according to a Library of Congress history.

Photo credit: State Historical Society of Missouri https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/imc/id/62113/rec/3