“Shoot him on the spoot.”

In the latter months of James Buchanan’s presidency, just as the Southern states seceded from the Union, John A. Dix was sworn in as Secretary of the Treasury upon the resignation of the previous officeholder. Dix’s appointment was essentially a lame-duck seat-filling action for the former New York Senator and postmaster; Abraham Lincoln was weeks away from his inauguration.

In January 1861, a ship, the Robert McClelland, was too close to New Orleans shores and was in danger of capture from Confederate sympathizers. At the time, the commander of the ship, Captain John G. Breshwood, refused to steer the Robert McClelland away from danger, and Dix, sensing that the commander might have loyalties to the Southern cause, sent a telegram to that boat’s junior officer.

“Tell Lieutenant Caldwell to arrest Captain Breshwood, assume command of the cutter, and obey the order I gave through you. If Captain Breshwood, after arrest, undertakes to interfere with the command of the cutter, tell Lieutenant Caldwell to consider him a mutineer, and treat him accordingly. If any one attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot.”

The letter never reached the McClelland; the document was captured and its contents were leaked to the newspapers. The McClelland eventually fell to the Confederacy and its American flag was lowered. But the comment about “shoot him on the spot” became a rallying cry for the North, a statement that the Union must be preserved at all costs, and to treat the Southern secessionists as traitors and criminals.

After Dix finished his lame-duck term, Abraham Lincoln awarded him the rank of Major-General in the Union army. And during the war, the McClelland was recaptured by the Union, and both its Union and Confederate banners were sent to Dix as trophies.

The epithet “shoot him on the spot” became one of the most ubiquitous phrases of the Civil War. Dix’s fury became a popular poem and song, as reproduced here. The poem’s author, William Ross Wallace, originally credited the statement to another politican, but would later correct the reference in future printings.

The “Shoot Him on the Spot” quotation also made its way to a series of Civil War coins, with the obverse featuring the Stars and Stripes with a Liberty cap atop its pole. The coin’s reverse has Dix’s “Shoot Him on the Spot” phrase, clear as day.

Except on this coin.

See, whoever made the coin die for this piece 160 years ago did NOT take care of quality control. Because this coin says “Shoot Him on the Spoot.”

Oopsie.

The “Shoot Him on the Spoot” variation is quite common with this coin, and the value of both the “spot” and the “spoot” coins are about $10 for a worn coin, up to $200 for a pristine example.

So why did I go through this whole shaggy dog story about John A. Dix and captured ships and telegrams and all that?

Because I got my mitts of one of the “Shoot Him on the Spoot” coins.

See?

At some point in time, I’ll take a focus-stacked macro photo of this token, with the goal of possibly entering it in Competition Season 2024. It would be a fun entry.

But for now … I’ve got a nice little oddity here. A Civil War patriotic mintage with a rather accidental message. Ha.