Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-11-03
FIRST EDITION.


When, in the winter OF 1860 6l, the southern
States were one after another adopting ordinan-
ces OF secession. and appropriating national
property for insurrectionary purposes. General
Dix, the present Governor of New York, was
Secretary of the Treasury. and the only member
Of Mr.. Buchanan cabinet who seemed to be with
out kcrupea to the right OF the federal govern
ment to protect it's property and uphold its au.
thority by coerclve measures. 1t was in an at
tempt to save the revenue cntter at Mobile and
New Orleans from seizure that he delivered the
famous order t'If any one attempts to haul down
the American flag, shoot him on the spot, the
authorship OF which has been claimed for sever
al different persons, and which has excited
sufficient controversy to make it historical ques-
ton That question has at last been definitely
settled by an article in the current number OF
the American Historical Record. from which we
CLEAN the following story: Early in January.
1861, General Dix despatched a special agent
Mr.. William Hemphill Jones, to Mobile and
New Orleans. armed with an order reading as
follows: "This letter will be- presented to you
''by William Hemphill Jones, special agent OF
''this department; voc are requiredto obey such
directions as may be given you. either verbally
''or iu writing by MIR Jones. with regard to the
vessel under your command
Mr. Jones arrived at Mobile too late to save
the cutter there, but found the New Orleans cut.
ter unmolested, and at once ordered its COM
mander Captain Breshwood. to proceed with his
vessel TO New York This Captain Bresbwood
refused to do, and it was in answer to MIR.
Jonesa report of that refusal that General DIX
gave utteranee to the words that hew ike Wild
lire all over the North. assuring the friends OF
the government that its energies were not wholly
para, zed, and that tffectve measures Vonlt be
taken to maintain the integrity of the Union
The order read as follows:-
TREASURY DEPARTMENT,
Jnudry 20, 1861
Tell lieutenant Cdldiceu 10 arrest Cdptdta
Bresh,rood assume command Of The cutler, and
obey the order gaze Hr ugh you II CdDtdtn
B'eshioOnd after arrest undertakes to interfere
nim The command Of he cutte", tsa Lieutenant
Cnhitreu 10 ~ nsi- en- him as a UutthefT ana tFedt
him ccordin u II any one attempts 70 haul
doton he Ane. lcdn fdg shoot him on ne spot.
JoHN A. DIX
Secretary 0fthe Treasury.
The production Of the original draft Of the
above diepstch, in the bold and characteristic
handwriting of General Dix. was not sufficient to
pettIe the question OF the authorship of the con-
cluding command, for it was elaine that secreta,
nv Stanton Judge-AdvOcste General Holt General
Scott and several others had suggested 1t but
all assertions OF tn nature have been complete-
Iv ansgered by a letter from General Dix him
self to Mr., Benson, j. LOsslng, dated the "a OF
last month wherein he says; The order allu1-
led to was written by myself, without any sug-
geHtion from any one and it was sent OH three
days before 1t was communicated to the Pre-l-
p dent or the Cabinet. Mr. Stanton's letter to
MIR. Bonner, of the Ledger, stating that It was
wholly mine, was published in the New York
Times last October, or late in September, to
siler ce forever the misrepresentatlons IN re
| gard to it," The Record publishes tdc-sinit
copy of the original despatch which is now IL
| the pessession of the Rev. Morgan l. Dix. OF
| New York a son of the general aud smal
medal be ring on one side representation OF
the American flag, and on the other the word
| Dix surrounded by the closing words OF the IA
| nous order has been struck by private hands tt
| commemorate what must be universally consld
| cred as one Of the most interesting, II not th'
most important, episodes OF the civil war.