MAJOR GENERAL JOHN A. DIX - AUTOGRAPH NOTE SIGNED - HFSID 31326

GENERAL JOHN ADAMS DIX
President James Buchanan's Secretary in 1861, gave this famous order to an American cutter less than three months before the outbreak of the American Civil War: "If anyone attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot." In this undated note, he states that the original order with those words is in the hands of his son, the Reverend Morgan Dix.
Autograph Note Signed: "John A. Dix", 1 page, 7¾x9¾, on ruled stationery of First Division of New York Volunteers. In full: "The original order, in which occur the words 'If any man attempts to haul down the American Flag, shoot him on the spot' - is in the possession of Rev. Morgan Dix, Asst. Rector of Trinity Church, New York. Respectfully Yours,". As Buchanan's Secretary of the Treasury in 1861,JOHN ADAMS DIX (1798-1879) telegraphed this message on the evening of Jan. 29, 1861, less than three months before the outbreak of the Civil War, in an attempt to retain control of the cutter Robert McClellan, then lying in the port of New Orleans. The sympathies of the cutter force were divided between the North and the South. A former U.S. Senator from New York (1845-1849), Dix later commanded the Department of Virginia (1862-1863) and the Department of the East (1863-1865). After the Civil War, he was Minister to France (1866-1869) and Governor of New York (1872-1874). The U. S. Army's Fort Dix in New Jersey is named in his honor. MORGAN DIX (1827-1908), his son, was Rector of Trinity Church in New York City from 1862 to 1908. Lightly creased. Folds, vertical fold just touches the "n" in John. Nicked and lightly soiled at blank right edge. 1½-inch separation at blank right horizontal fold. Otherwise, fine condition.