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A Demand Note is a type of United States paper money that was issued between August 1861 and April 1862 during the American Civil War in denominations of $5, $10, and $20. Demand Notes were the first issues of paper money by the United States that achieved wide circulation, though they are now very rare. The U.S. government placed the Demand Notes into circulation by using them to pay expenses incurred during the Civil War including the salaries of its workers and military personnel. The Demand Notes of 1861 are the first issue of federal paper currency. The $5 Demand Note from 1861 features Thomas Crawford's statue of Freedom and a portrait of Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton was integral to the establishment of the U.S. Mint. The federal government did not begin issuing paper currency until 1861, well after his death. These first notes, nicknamed greenbacks, are the first instance of Hamilton appearing on national currency.