Civil War Union Autographs
"John A. Dix" Signed Union Army Major General Bureau of Engraving & Printing Portrait Card Secretary of the Treasury
JOHN ADAMS DIX (1798-1879). Union Army Major General, Secretary of the Treasury, Governor of New York, Union Pacific Railroad President, arranged the Dix-Hill Cartel Civil War Prisoner exchange; also Known for stating: "If any one attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot."
United States Bureau of Engraving & Printing Engraving boldly Signed, "John A. Dix", measuring 6" x 8", Choice Crisp Mint. A beautifully accomplished vivid Engraved Bust Portrait titled, "DIX" shown in his Union general military uniform. Some trivial faint scattered marginal tone to the outer card. A bold vivid brown signature, "John A. Dix" measures a large 2.5" long and stands out prominently. Outstanding in eye appeal.
John Adams Dix (July 24, 1798 " April 21, 1879) was an American politician from New York. He served as Secretary of the Treasury, U.S. Senator, and the 24th Governor of New York. He was also a Union Major General during the Civil War.
Dix was appointed United States Secretary of the Treasury by President James Buchanan in 1861. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he sent a telegram to the Treasury agents in New Orleans ordering that: "If any one attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot."
Although the telegram was intercepted by Confederates, and was never delivered to the Treasury agents, the text found its way to the press, and Dix became one of the first heroes of the North during the Civil War. The saying is found on many Civil War tokens minted during the war, although the wording is slightly modified.
At the start of the American Civil War, Dix was appointed a major general in the New York Militia. He joined the Union Army as the highest ranking major general of volunteers during the war, effective May 16, 1861. In the summer of 1861, he commanded the Department of Maryland and the Department of Pennsylvania.
His importance at the beginning of the Civil War was in arresting and thereby preventing the Maryland legislature from meeting. This prevented Maryland from seceding, and earned him President Lincoln's gratitude. That winter, he commanded a regional organization known as "Dix's Command" within Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Department of the Potomac. Dix commanded the Department of Virginia from June 1862 until July 1863, and the Department of the East from July 1863 until April 1865.
On July 22, 1862, Dix and Confederate Maj. Gen. D. H. Hill concluded an agreement for the general exchange of prisoners between the Union and Confederate armies. This agreement became known as the Dix-Hill Cartel. Considered too old for field command, Dix's most distinguished contribution during the war was the suppression of the New York Draft Riots in July 1863.
He was also active in the defense of Suffolk, which was part of his department. He served as the temporary chairman of the 1866 National Union Convention.