What was the Pig War of 1859?

The Pig War was a confrontation in 1859 between the United States and Great Britain over where the international border ran in the San Juan Islands, between Vancouver Island and the mainland. It began when an American settler shot a pig belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company side of the dispute, and it grew to involve warships and hundreds of troops. Despite the name, it never became an armed conflict, and the pig is usually described as its only casualty. [1] [2]

The Oregon Treaty of 1846 set the boundary along the 49th parallel and then through the middle of the channel separating the continent from Vancouver Island. The wording was vague because there were two channels, Haro Strait nearer Vancouver Island and Rosario Strait nearer the mainland, with the San Juan Islands between them. The British preferred Rosario Strait, which would leave the islands in British territory, while the Americans preferred Haro Strait, which would place them in American territory. Both sides claimed the whole island group. [1] [2]

The Hudson's Bay Company established salmon-curing stations on San Juan Island by 1851 and a sheep farm in December 1853. By spring 1859, 18 Americans had staked claims on land the company used for grazing, according to the National Park Service. The Canadian Encyclopedia gives a range of 14 to 30 American settlers. The British regarded them as illegal squatters. [1] [2]

On June 15, 1859, an American farmer, Lyman Cutlar (also spelled Cutler), shot a pig rooting in his garden. The pig belonged to Charles Griffin, a British employee of the Hudson's Bay Company. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, Cutlar offered $10 in compensation, Griffin wanted more, and British authorities then threatened to arrest Cutlar. [2] [1]

American settlers asked for military protection, and General William Harney sent Captain George Pickett with 64 soldiers, who landed on July 27. Vancouver Island Governor James Douglas sent the warship HMS Tribune, soon joined by others, with orders to dislodge them while avoiding a clash if possible. By late August about 461 Americans were on the island with 14 field cannons, and the British had several warships. Rear Admiral Lambert Baynes reportedly refused to involve two great nations in a war over a squabble about a pig. [1] [2]

President James Buchanan sent General Winfield Scott, who had calmed earlier border crises in the 1830s. Arriving in October 1859, he agreed with Douglas to reduce forces and to share a joint military occupation, which both nations approved in November. Harney was rebuked and later reassigned. The joint occupation lasted 12 years, with British Royal Marines camped at the island's northwest and Americans at the south. [1] [2]

The 1871 Treaty of Washington referred the question to Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany, who passed it to a three-man commission. On October 21, 1872, it ruled for the United States, placing the boundary in Haro Strait. The Royal Marines left in November 1872, and the last US troops departed in July 1874. [1]