Martin Antonenko
A Fixture
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2008
- Messages
- 8,994
One of the most unknown wars in history is the so-called "Pig War" between the USA and Great Britain in 1859!
You never heard about it? Allright, here's the story...:
In 1859, the United States and British Canada, quarrel extremely bitter for a few small islands in the middle of the canal that separated the continent from Vancouver Island and in the middle of Juan-de-Fuca Strait to the Pacific Ocean ...:
Both sides claim the islands for themselves, with the USA insisting on the border along the blue, Great Britain along the red line ...:
The islands are populated by Americans and Canadians together - and conflicts are increasing!
The dispute escalated on June 15, 1859!
On this day, the American farmer Lyman Cutlar shoots a strange pig on San Juan Island, which has penetrated his fenced-in potato field and devastates it by digging the potatoes planted out of the ground and eating them with relish ...:
As it turns out, the pig belongs to a Canadian (British subject) named Charles J. Griffin, who also works for the "Hudson's Bay" trading company, which is not only an institution in Canada, but also very powerful.
There is a memorable dialogue between Cutlar and Griffin, which has also gone down in history:
Cutlar: "Keep your pigs out of my potatoes!"
Griffin: (who must have been a quick-witted man) replies: "Keep your potatoes out of my pigs!"
While the two are still arguing for damages (Cutlar offers ten US dollars, Griffin demands 100!) Mobilize the other settlers!
Both sides are loudly calling for protection from the other side and demanding the use of the military. The press makes a great story of the dead pig - and in fact both the British and the Americans are marching!
Finally, 461 Americans of the 9th US Intantry Regiment with 14 field cannons and eight 32-pound naval guns stand on the islands ...
... under the command of Major Silas Casey (the picture shows him later as General of the ACW) ...:
Among them is a young lieutenant named George Edward Pickett ...
... who during the U.S. Civil War as a Confederate Brigadier General ...
... will become famous at the Battle of Gettysburg ("Pickett's Charge").
The British send three warships ...
... with about 250 soldiers, but far more cannons ...
... commanded by Captain Geoffrey Hornby of the Royal Navy ...
Now there is a lot of rattling with the saber - but both local commanders are sensible enough to set up their camps on the largest island of San Juan as far apart as possible ...
... and not to shoot at each other, although exactly this - and the further away the louder! - loudly demanded on both sides!
This goes on for a quarter of a year.
Finally US President James Buchanan ...
... sends his army commander in chief, General Winfield Scott ...
... to San Juan Island in September 1859 to meet with the British Governor James Douglas ...
... to solve the crisis.
Both sides finally agree to maintain the mutual military occupation of the islands, albeit to a reduced extent.
It will remain so until 1872. Then both countries will sign a treaty that will make the islands United States territory and pull the British out.
And so the potato-loving British-Canadian pig remains the only victim of the conflict...
You never heard about it? Allright, here's the story...:
In 1859, the United States and British Canada, quarrel extremely bitter for a few small islands in the middle of the canal that separated the continent from Vancouver Island and in the middle of Juan-de-Fuca Strait to the Pacific Ocean ...:
Both sides claim the islands for themselves, with the USA insisting on the border along the blue, Great Britain along the red line ...:
The islands are populated by Americans and Canadians together - and conflicts are increasing!
The dispute escalated on June 15, 1859!
On this day, the American farmer Lyman Cutlar shoots a strange pig on San Juan Island, which has penetrated his fenced-in potato field and devastates it by digging the potatoes planted out of the ground and eating them with relish ...:
As it turns out, the pig belongs to a Canadian (British subject) named Charles J. Griffin, who also works for the "Hudson's Bay" trading company, which is not only an institution in Canada, but also very powerful.
There is a memorable dialogue between Cutlar and Griffin, which has also gone down in history:
Cutlar: "Keep your pigs out of my potatoes!"
Griffin: (who must have been a quick-witted man) replies: "Keep your potatoes out of my pigs!"
While the two are still arguing for damages (Cutlar offers ten US dollars, Griffin demands 100!) Mobilize the other settlers!
Both sides are loudly calling for protection from the other side and demanding the use of the military. The press makes a great story of the dead pig - and in fact both the British and the Americans are marching!
Finally, 461 Americans of the 9th US Intantry Regiment with 14 field cannons and eight 32-pound naval guns stand on the islands ...
... under the command of Major Silas Casey (the picture shows him later as General of the ACW) ...:
Among them is a young lieutenant named George Edward Pickett ...
... who during the U.S. Civil War as a Confederate Brigadier General ...
... will become famous at the Battle of Gettysburg ("Pickett's Charge").
The British send three warships ...
... with about 250 soldiers, but far more cannons ...
... commanded by Captain Geoffrey Hornby of the Royal Navy ...
Now there is a lot of rattling with the saber - but both local commanders are sensible enough to set up their camps on the largest island of San Juan as far apart as possible ...
... and not to shoot at each other, although exactly this - and the further away the louder! - loudly demanded on both sides!
This goes on for a quarter of a year.
Finally US President James Buchanan ...
... sends his army commander in chief, General Winfield Scott ...
... to San Juan Island in September 1859 to meet with the British Governor James Douglas ...
... to solve the crisis.
Both sides finally agree to maintain the mutual military occupation of the islands, albeit to a reduced extent.
It will remain so until 1872. Then both countries will sign a treaty that will make the islands United States territory and pull the British out.
And so the potato-loving British-Canadian pig remains the only victim of the conflict...
