An American farmer shot a British pig on a disputed island, both nations sent warships, and for 13 years two armies camped 200 yards apart — then went home without firing a shot.
In June 1859, an American farmer named Lyman Cutlar found a large black pig rooting through his potato garden on San Juan Island, a Pacific Northwest island whose ownership was disputed between the United States and Britain. He shot it. The pig belonged to the Hudson's Bay Company. Its Irish employee demanded compensation. Cutlar refused. Within weeks, both nations were sending warships.
American Captain George Pickett — later famous for his ill-fated charge at Gettysburg — landed 66 U.S. soldiers on the island. Britain responded by sending three warships. The American commander sent for reinforcements. By August 1859, there were 461 American soldiers with 14 cannons facing five British warships carrying 70 guns and 2,140 men.
Both sides' commanding generals thought the standoff was absurd. American General Winfield Scott and British Rear Admiral Robert Baynes agreed that two great nations going to war over a pig was not a good look. Both men de-escalated without orders from their governments, and the two sides settled into what became a peculiar 12-year joint military occupation of the same small island.
For over a decade, British and American soldiers shared the island peacefully, frequently socializing, attending each other's parties, and celebrating each other's holidays. The 'war' that nearly began with a pig shot became one of the friendliest military standoffs in history.
The dispute was finally settled by international arbitration in 1872. Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany was chosen as arbitrator. He awarded the islands to the United States, drawing the boundary through the Haro Strait. The British garrison departed peacefully. Total casualties of the Pig War: one pig.
The lone pig casualty is commemorated at San Juan Island National Historical Park, where both the American and English camps are preserved. The island remains a symbol of how close two nations can come to war — and how easily a cooler head can pull them back from the brink.