DIX
DIX
dent Buchanan appointed him postmaster of
New York in place of Isaac V. Fowler, defaulter,
in 1860. He declined the portfolio of war and
accepted that of the treasury, Jan. 9, 1861, suc-
ceeding Philip F. Thomas of Maryland, whom
the President had appointed on the resignation
of Howell Cobb, and he served till the close of
the Democratic administration. It was while at
the head of the treasury department that he sent
his historic message to Lieutenant Caldwell at
New Orleans, La., to arrest the commander of
the revenue cutter, adding to the message: "If
any one attempts to haul down the American
flag, shoot him on the spot." He was president
of the Union defence committee of New York
city from* its formation in 1861 and on April 24,
1861, lie presided over the great meeting in
Union Square, New York, which determined the
attitude of that municipality and of the entire
north in reference to supporting the new admin-
istration. He organized and sent to the field
seventeen regiments of state militia and was
appointed bj- Governor Morgan one of the fcur
major-generals to command the state troops.
He was commissioned major-general, U.S. volun-
teers, by Pi-esident Lincoln in June, 1861, and
General Scott ordered him to the command of
the department of Arlington and Alexandria,
Va., but political favoritism succeeded in trans-
ferring him, July 20, 1861, to the less important
post of the department of Maryland, which, after
the battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861, became the
base of operations on the Potomac and the key
to the military situation. General Dix's energy
and military judgment stamped out ^secession
sentiment in Baltimore and all of Maryland. In
May, 1862, he was transferred to the command
of Fort Monroe, Va. He declined the nomination
for governor of New York, offered him by the
Federal Union central committee, Oct. 20, 1862.
He was in command of the 7th army corps
of 10,000 men, in the movement up the York
river to the White House, in June, 1863, where
he succeeded in cutting off Lee's line of commu-
nication with the Confederate capitol and in
destroying bridges, capturing Confederate ti'oops,
including Gen. W. H. F. Lee, and obtaining con-
trol of the whole country between the Pamunkey
and the Rappahannock rivers. At this juncture,
when the city of Richmond was almost within
his grasp, General Dix was ordered to fall back
and send all his available troops to the defence of
"Washington and the Pennsylvania borders, then
threatened by the combined Confederate forces.
This order from General Halleck was dated July
3, 1863, and was promptly complied with. At
the same time a draft was ordered in New York
and the draft riots, made possible by the with-
drawal of the state miUtia to prevent the inva-
sion of the northern states by the Confederate
army, had taken place. General Dix was ordered
to supersede Gen. J. E. Wool as commander of
the department of the east, and his energetic
action prevented further disturbance and re-
stored business confidence in the metroiDolis. He
continued in command till the close of tlie war,
when he accepted the presidency of the Union
Pacific railroad company. In 1866 he was ap-
pointed by President Johnson U.S. naval officer
at New York and the same year U.S. minister to
France to relieve John Hay, charge d'affaires at
that court. He returned to America on the
accession of President Grant in 1869. In 1872 he
was elected by the Republican party governor of
the state of New York. He was defeated of re-
election in 1874, largely through political intrigue
in the party. He was married. May 29, 1826, to
Catherine, niece and adopted daughter of John
Jordan Morgan of New York, and two of their
seven children survived him, one of these being
the Rev. Morgan Dix, rector of Trinity church.
His civil offices include: vestryman of Trinity
church, comptroller of Trinity corporation, dep-
uty of the general convention of the Protestant
Episcopal church, an original trustee of the
Astor library by appointment of John Jacob
Astor, president of the Mississippi & Missouri
railway company (1853), first president of the
Union Pacific railroad company (1863-68), and
president of the Erie railway company (1872).
He received the honorarj^ degree of LL.D. from
Union in 1873, and was honorary chancellor of
the college in 1874. His published Avorks include:
Sesources of the City of Kevj York (1827) ; Decisions
of the Superintendents of Common Schools (1837);
A Winter in Madeira and a Summer in Spain and
Florence (1850, 5th ed., 1853) ; /Si^eec/ies and Occa-
sional Addresses (2 vols., 1864) ; Dies Irct>, transla-
tion (1863, rev. ed., 1875) ; and Stabat Mater,
translation (1868). His memoir written by his
son, the Rev. Morgan Dix, was published in
1883. He died in New York city, April 21, 1879.
DIX, Morgan, clergj-man, was born in New
York city, Nov. 1, 1827 ; son of John Adams and
Catharine (Morgan) Dix. On the father's side
the family is of English stock and on his mother's,
of Welsh. He attended the schools of Albany^ '
N.Y., but did not prepare for college until his
return from a tour of Italy, Madeira and Spain
in 1844. He was graduated at Columbia college
in 1848 and studied law, but deciding to enter
the ministry he was graduated at the General
theological seminary in 1852. He was ordained a
deacon in 1852 and admitted to the priesthood in
1854. He served as assistant to the Rev. Joseph
Wilmer at St. Mark's, Philadelphia, 1853-54.
visited Europe in 1854-55 for study and travel,
and returning to New York became assistant
