MAJOR GENERAL JOHN A. DIX - THIRD PERSON AUTOGRAPH LETTER - HFSID 177225

GENERAL JOHN ADAMS DIX
He penned this undated third-person letter to say that he couldn't attend dinner with an unidentified governor. Dix was President James Buchanan's Secretary of the Treasury in 1861 and sent this famous order to an American boat less than three months before the American Civil War: "If any man attempts to haul down the American Flag, shoot him on the spot".
Third-person Letter Signed: "John A.Dix" in body of letter. 1 page, 5x8, 1 sheet folded. addressed on verso. Written on "Friday morning.". Addressed to "The Governor". In full: "John A.Dix, aid [sic] to Genl. Brown, presents his respects to the Gov=ernor, and deeply regrets that in=disposition will deprive him of the honour of accepting his invitation to dinner today .-". This letter was probably written between 1819 and 1825, when Dix was aide-de-camp to Major General Jacob Brown, commanding general of the U. S. Army. New York had two governors during that period: DeWitt Clinton and Joseph C. Yates. As President James Buchanan's Secretary of the Treasury (1861), Dix (1798-1879) telegraphed this famous order to the American cutter Robert McClelland in the port of New Orleans on Jan. 29, 1861, less than three months before the start of the American Civil War: "If any man attempts to haul down the American Flag, shoot him on the spot". Dix later commanded the Department of Virginia (1862-1863) and the Department of the East (1863-1865). After the Civil War, Dix, who had been a U. S. Senator from New York (1845-1849), was U. S. 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. Lightly toned and soiled. . Light stains along spine. Light nick at right edge. Rust stain at top edge. Wax paper remnants, paper loss and rust stains on verso (no show-through). Folded twice and unfolded. Folds are lightly discolored on verso (no show-through). Otherwise, fine condition.