3x6.75” with 3 minor crease lines at corners but super clean. Unlisted in Sullivan/Fischer book on ribbons. John Adams 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 Anyone Attempts To Haul Down The American Flag, Shoot Him On The Spot.” Although the telegram was intercepted by Confederates, 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 and ribbons issued during the war, although the wording is slightly modified as on this silk ribbon reading “Shoot The First Man/That Attempts To Pull Down The American Flag.” Text below reads “The Government & Flag/Must & Shall Be/Sustained.” The word “Government” implies an early issue as most similar ribbons use the word “Constitution” instead. Rare.