In 1859, two countries nearly went to war—over a pig

The Shot That Nearly Started a War

On June 15, 1859, American farmer Lyman Cutlar discovered a large black pig rooting through his potato patch on San Juan Island, a disputed territory claimed by both the United States and Great Britain. Cutlar had warned the pig's owner, Irishman Charles Griffin who worked for the Hudson's Bay Company, multiple times before. This time, Cutlar grabbed his rifle and shot the animal dead. Griffin demanded $100 in compensation—about $3,500 today—but Cutlar offered only $10, insisting the pig had been trespassing. This dispute over a single farm animal would escalate into a 12-year military standoff between two global powers, with hundreds of armed men occupying opposite ends of a small island in Puget Sound.

The shooting occurred because the Oregon Treaty of 1846 had left the maritime boundary vague, stating only that it ran through "the middle of the channel" separating the continent from Vancouver Island. Unfortunately, two channels existed: Haro Strait to the west and Rosario Strait to the east, with the San Juan archipelago sitting squarely between them. Both nations had been encouraging settlement to strengthen their claims. When British authorities threatened to arrest Cutlar, American settlers petitioned U.S. military commander General William S. Harney for protection. Harney, known for his aggressive stance toward British interests, dispatched Captain George Pickett—later famous for his ill-fated charge at Gettysburg—with 64 soldiers to prevent British authorities from removing American settlers. Within days, Pickett's small force faced three British warships carrying 167 guns.

Brinkmanship on a Remote Island

As tensions mounted through the summer of 1859, both sides reinforced their positions with remarkable speed. By August, the American garrison had swelled to 461 soldiers with 14 cannons, while British Rear Admiral Robert L. Baynes commanded five warships and over 2,000 marines in the surrounding waters. Pickett's orders from Harney were uncompromising: resist any British landing "at all hazards." British Columbia Governor James Douglas equally demanded the removal of American troops, threatening military action. Yet Admiral Baynes, displaying remarkable restraint, refused Douglas's order to engage, reportedly saying he would not "involve two great nations in a war over a squabble about a pig." His decision likely prevented bloodshed that could have rekindled the animosity of the War of 1812.

The standoff drew attention in Washington and London, where cooler heads recognized the absurdity of war over swine and potatoes. President James Buchanan dispatched General Winfield Scott, the Army's commanding general, to negotiate a peaceful resolution. Scott arrived in October 1859 and quickly arranged a joint military occupation: American soldiers would camp on the southern end of San Juan Island at what became known as American Camp, while British Royal Marines would establish English Camp on the northern shore. This arrangement, formalized in March 1860, created one of history's most unusual military situations—two forces of heavily armed men from rival nations sharing a 20-mile-long island, each flying their own flag and maintaining separate jurisdictions. For the next 12 years, the two camps coexisted peacefully, with soldiers occasionally socializing, competing in sports, and even celebrating each other's national holidays.

An Unlikely Peace and a German Arbiter

The joint occupation continued through the American Civil War and beyond, outlasting the pig incident by more than a decade. During this period, both camps maintained full military readiness while their governments negotiated. American Camp grew to include officers' quarters, barracks, a commissary, and a formal parade ground, while British Royal Marines at English Camp built a substantial fortification overlooking Garrison Bay. Despite the military presence, daily life was surprisingly cordial. British and American officers exchanged dinner invitations, troops competed in athletic contests, and both sides agreed to ignore each other's legal jurisdiction over civilian matters. The only recorded tensions involved disputes over vegetable gardens and the occasional drunken soldier crossing territorial lines. This peaceful coexistence stood in sharp contrast to the heated rhetoric of 1859, when war had seemed inevitable.

The matter was finally resolved in 1872 when both nations agreed to binding arbitration by Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany, who appointed a three-member commission to study the dispute. After reviewing maps, treaties, and arguments from both sides, the commission ruled in favor of the American claim on October 21, 1872, establishing the boundary through Haro Strait and awarding all the San Juan Islands to the United States. The British withdrew from English Camp on November 25, 1872, ending the occupation without a single shot fired in anger. Today, San Juan Island National Historical Park preserves both American Camp and English Camp as reminders of the conflict. The only casualty of the Pig War remains the Hudson's Bay Company pig, shot by Lyman Cutlar on that June morning in 1859—making it arguably the most consequential farm animal in diplomatic history.