The Pig War đ
Pig got shot US military involved read to find out what happened.
It is 1846 and the Oregon Treaty was signed between the United States and Britain to settle the border between the United states and what is now Canada. A border was drawn at the 49th parallel and it was fine until it came to some islands south-west of Vancouver. The way the islands were positioned it caused the border to be in a tricky place due to San Juan island being in a strategic place being the mouth of the channel. So, Britain and the United States both claimed that island and both countries settled there.
The island circled is San Juan Island
The British had a salmon-curing station and sheep ranch while the Americans built homes. But one fateful day June 15th 1859 a pig belonging to the British wondered into the American side of the island and was caught eating a American farmer's potatoesđĽ. In a fit of rage the farmer grabbed his musket and shot the pig killing it.
When the British farmer found out his pig was killed he confronted the American farmer about it. It is claimed the conversation went as fallowed:
American farmer: "...but it was eating my potatoes!"
British farmer: "Rubbish. It's up to you yo keep your potatoes put of my pig!"
The American farmer offered to pay $10 to the British farmer but he declined wanting the American farmer to be arrested. Scared the American farmer wrote a petition requesting military protection.
General Harney sent 66 men from the US 9th infantry. General Douglas heard about this and sent 3 warships. The British admiral said that a fight over a pig is stupid so he quickly stopped the war but by the time his word got to both side they had put in a lot of men into the war so they quickly stopped and agreed on both sides only having less than 100 men.
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