Pair of Civil War–era ink signatures on individual slips. Includes: “N. P. Banks,” on an off-white slip measuring 3.5" x 1.10"; and “John A. Dix / Maj Gen Comdg,” on a small slip measuring approximately .60" x 1.75".
Signatures are bold and well-formed in dark ink, with light toning and minor edge wear consistent with age. A concise grouping of two Union major generals, each identified with military rank.
Nathaniel P. Banks (January 30, 1816 – September 1, 1894) was an American politician from Massachusetts and a Union general during the Civil War. A millworker, Banks became prominent in local debating societies and entered politics as a young adult. Initially a member of the Democratic Party, Banks's abolitionist views drew him to the nascent Republican Party, through which he won election to the United States House of Representatives and as Governor of Massachusetts in the 1850s. At the start of the 34th Congress, he was elected Speaker of the House in an election that spanned a record 133 ballots taken over the course of two months
John A. Dix (1798-1879), Soldier, Lawyer, Statesman. An active career in military and politics, he became Secretary of the Treasury in 1861, his chief service to the Union. His dispatch of Jan. 29, 1861 to a treasury official in New Orleans which ended: “If anyone attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot!” was a clarion call to the North. After turning over the job to Salmon P. Chase, he was made a major-general. After the war, he served as Minister to France and later Governor of New York.
With One of a Kind Collectibles LOA