The War Over Bacon

"The War Over Bacon – The island dispute started by a hungry pig" chronicles the Pig War of 1859. On San Juan Island, located between Vancouver Island and the US mainland, tensions were high between British and American settlers. The spark came when an American farmer shot a British pig that was rooting up his potatoes. Historian Arthur Pork details the absurd escalation. The British authorities threatened to arrest the farmer. The US sent the army (including Captain George Pickett). The British sent three warships. Soon, 500 US soldiers with cannons were facing off against 2,000 British troops—all over a dead pig. "The War Over Bacon" is a lesson in de-escalation. Despite orders to engage, the commanders on both sides refused to "involve two great nations in a war over a squabble about a pig." The only casualty of the entire conflict was the pig itself.