Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 4
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3
John A. Dix Writes His Most Famous Words,“shoot him on the spot”, Should Anyone Attempt to Haul Down the American Flag & Repercussions of That Statement, Fantastic!
John A. Dix Writes His Most Famous Words,“shoot him on the spot”, Should Anyone Attempt to Haul Down the American Flag & Repercussions of That Statement, Fantastic!
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3
Description:

John A. Dix Writes His Most Famous Words,“shoot him on the spot”, Should Anyone Attempt to Haul Down the American Flag & Repercussions of That Statement, Fantastic!

Autograph Letter Signed, to Charles F. Blake, June 4, 1868, Paris, France. 3pp, 5.375ʺ x 8.5ʺ. Also includes a small (4ʺ x 2.5ʺ) photograph of eleven young men in military uniforms in a studio. Expected folds; some edge tears; several small holes in third/fourth pages, only one of which slightly affects one word; else, good condition.

In full,

"I go to Fontainebleau this evening to take the family to Switzerland. I have had, and continue to receive, many letters in regard to the nomination on the 4th July. I have no faith in any expectation from that quarter. There will be too many men there, who have never forgiven, and never will forgive, me for the 'shoot him on the spot' order. Judge Abbott, the devoted friend of Seymour, is elected a delegate from Mass. and with him Josiah Bardwell, who is, I believe, one of the Directors of the U.P.R.R. Co.

One thing I desire—to be put right, if I am attacked as a deserter from the Democratic party-a charge brought against me not long ago by the World. You know Moses H. Grinnell telegraphed me in behalf of the N.Y. delegation from Baltimore asking me to be a candidate for the vice Presidency with Lincoln, and I declined. I also wrote a letter to Isaac Sherman declining and stating my reasons. He had called on me to know whether I would consent. He has the letter, and a copy is in one of the large round-topped trunks in the Attic containing my papers. it is in a file marked Private 1862. there may be more than one of those files. If the World attacks me again, it might be well to publish this letter and state the other fact in regard to the NY delegation."

In this letter to his son-in-law, an attorney in New York City, Union General and New York Democrat John A. Dix writes from Paris about political matters. Although some friends him urged him to seek the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 1868, Dix was certain that too many Democrats would never forgive him for his famous 1861 order.

Dix had served briefly as Secretary of the Treasury during the closing weeks of President James Buchanan’s administration in early 1861. Two weeks after assuming office in mid-January, Dix sent orders to a junior officer aboard a Treasury Department revenue-cutter in New Orleans, whose commander refused to sail it away to safety to prevent the Confederates from seizing it. Dix closed his brief telegram to William Hemphill Jones, the special messenger he had sent to New Orleans, “If anyone attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot.” This bold statement immediately made its way into the press and made Dix a hero among northerners who favored a bold stand against southern secessionists.

At their convention in New York City from July 4 to 9, 1868, Democrats nominated former New York Governor Horatio Seymour as their candidate. He went on to lose the general election to Republican Ulysses S. Grant by a margin of 52.7 percent to 47.3 percent, and 214 to 80 in the Electoral College.

John Adams Dix (1798-1879) was born in New Hampshire, educated at Phillips Exeter Academy, and joined the Army as an ensign at the age of 14, just in time to serve in the War of 1812. He rose to the rank of captain before resigning from the Army in 1828. Later moving to New York with his wife to manage some of her family’s land holdings, he entered the practice of law. He served as New York Secretary of State from 1833 to 1839, and as a Democratic U.S. Senator from 1845 to 1849. President James Buchanan appointed Dix as Secretary of the Treasury in January 1861. Shortly after assuming office, Dix telegraphed an order to Treasury agents in New Orleans in an attempt to save revenue ships to the Union. The brief telegram declared, “If anyone attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot.” The telegram was intercepted by Confederates and made its way to the press, making Dix an early Union hero. Appointed a major general of the New York militia at the beginning of the war, Dix joined the Union Army as the highest ranking major general of volunteers. He commanded the Department of Maryland and Department of Pennsylvania to arrest members of the Maryland General Assembly to prevent Maryland from seceding. Dix commanded the Department of Virginia from June 1862 to July 1863. While in that position, he organized a general prisoner exchange system with Confederate General Daniel Harvey Hill, known as the Dix-Hill Cartel, which worked well for several months until Confederates refused to exchange African-American prisoners. A few days after the Battle of Gettysburg, just as the first draft in American history was scheduled to begin, riots erupted in New York City. Lincoln appointed Dix, a conservative War Democrat, to command the Department of the East and restore order. Dix held the position from July 1863 to April 1865, and successfully resumed the draft in New York City. After the war, Dix served as U.S. Minister to France from 1866 to 1869, and as Republican governor of New York in 1873 and 1874.

Charles F. Blake (1834-1881) was born in Boston, graduated from Harvard College, and then studied in Germany. He gained admission to the bar in Massachusetts in 1857. In 1860, he married Elizabeth Morgan Dix (1835-1899), oldest daughter of General John A. Dix. Blake moved his law practice to New York City in December 1868, and practiced primarily in the federal courts and in patent law. He died under mysterious circumstances by drowning in the North River.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

November 2, 2022 11:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of up to 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000