The Peccavi Pun

In the 19th century General Charles Napier of the British Army arrived at the province of Sindh, then a part of India but now part of Pakistan. Since this was a time of great and rapid British expansion in India, British leaders feared that they were over extending themselves and would thus be unable to effectively manage a territory as far north as Sindh. Napier was thus given direct orders to not capture Sindh. Napier, however, quickly noticed that there was very little resistance in the territory and so he decided to take it anyway, which he did with little trouble. After the capture, he is said to have reported the conquest by sending back a one-word message - "Peccavi" - which is Latin for "I have sinned." Peccavi here meant both "I have Sindh" and "I have sinned", since he took the province but at the same time disobeyed superior orders.