10 Wars That Started Over Reasons History Books Rarely Highlight

2. The Pig War (1859) - When a Single Swine Nearly Triggered International Warfare

The Pig War between the United States and Britain represents one of history's most bloodless conflicts, triggered by the shooting of a single pig that wandered into the wrong garden on San Juan Island. The incident occurred in June 1859 when American settler Lyman Cutlar discovered a large black pig eating his potatoes and shot the animal, only to discover it belonged to British citizen Charles Griffin. This seemingly minor property dispute quickly escalated because San Juan Island's sovereignty was unclear under the 1846 Oregon Treaty, with both American and British authorities claiming jurisdiction. When British authorities threatened to arrest Cutlar, American settlers requested military protection, leading to the deployment of Captain George Pickett and 64 American soldiers to the island. The British responded by sending three warships and 2,140 men, creating a tense standoff that could have easily erupted into full-scale war between two major powers. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed when Rear Admiral Robert L. Baynes refused orders to attack the Americans, reportedly saying he would not "involve two great nations in a war over a squabble about a pig." The crisis was eventually resolved through diplomacy, with both sides maintaining token forces on the island for twelve years until the boundary dispute was settled by international arbitration. The only casualty of this "war" remained the unfortunate pig, making it perhaps the most cost-effective military victory in American history.