punctilios

"I was riding near the head of the column, over the bare prairie, when suddenly, within twenty yards, up sprang a grizzly bear!  He ran about eighty paces, threw himself about, and stood some moments, gazing at us with his head high raised.  "Grizzly bear!" was shouted down the column, and gave an impulse to the true hunters, which strongly tested the punctilios of discipline: a half dozen of us spurred to instant pursuit: away we galloped, toward the mountain, at greater than buffalo speed."  (Scenes Beyond the Western Border, August 1852)

First known letter from Herman Melville to Nathaniel Hawthorne (29 January? 1851):

"Another thing, Mr Hawthorne—Do not think you are coming to any prim nonsensical house—that is nonsensical in the ordinary way.  You wont be much bored with punctilios."(Correspondence, 176)

February 1855:

 "True, he stood upon no punctilios with his jailers..."  (Israel Potter)

Another instance in 1855, this from "Benito Cereno":

As during the telling of the story, Captain Delano had once or twice started at the occasional cymballing of the hatchet-polishers, wondering why such an interruption should be allowed, especially in that part of the ship, and in the ears of an invalid; and, moreover, as the hatchets had anything but an attractive look, and the handlers of them still less so, it was, therefore, to tell the truth, not without some lurking reluctance, or even shrinking, it may be, that Captain Delano, with apparent complaisance, acquiesced in his host's invitation. The more so, since with an untimely caprice of punctilio, rendered distressing by his cadaverous aspect, Don Benito, with Castilian bows, solemnly insisted upon his guest's preceding him up the ladder leading to the elevation; where, one on each side of the last step, sat four armorial supporters and sentries, two of the ominous file. Gingerly enough stepped good Captain Delano between them, and in the instant of leaving them behind, like one running the gauntlet, he felt an apprehensive twitch in the calves of his legs.  (Benito Cereno)