Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. A war about a pig? That can't possibly be right you say. Well, as absurd as it may sound, it truly was a war, all started by a pig. But before we dive into the details of the war, let's find out which countries were involved, shall we? On one side of this war was the United States, but can you tell me who was on the other side of this dire conflict?
2. Well, you now know there was a Pig War, but did you know that there were also multiple names for this event in history? From the list, tell me which was NOT one of the other names of the Pig War.
3. The group of islands in dispute were the San Juan Islands. By some accounts of the time, the people that drew up the treaty didn't know these islands existed, but in fact, both sides in this conflict had previously surveyed the islands. Many believe that the diplomats involved in drawing up the treaty believed that a speedy resolution to the territorial dispute was more important than dealing with a group of insignificant islands with no British or American inhabitants. So, without discussing it, the wording of the treaty allowed both sides to believe the islands belonged to them, yet for five years after the signing of the treaty, neither side made an attempt to settle the San Juan Islands, that is until the Hudson's Bay Company set up a seasonal salmon curing station on the island in 1851. For what business was the Hudson's Bay Company most famously known?
4. What started the Pig War -- On June 15th, 1859 (which happens to be 13 years to the day the Oregon Treaty was adopted and who says 13 isn't an unlucky number) American Lyman Cutlar was out in his garden when he found a rather large pig eating his potatoes. He was so mad upon seeing this, that he shot the pig dead. Unfortunately, this pig belonged to Charles Griffin, an Irishman who was a part of the British settlement on the island. When Griffin discovered his pig had been shot, he confronted Cutlar, whereupon Cutlar offered $10 in compensation for the dead pig. This was unacceptable to Griffin who instead demanded how much for his deceased swine?
5. Since neither party could agree on compensation for the dead pig, the British authorities were called in and threatened to arrest Cutlar and also evict all his countrymen from the island as trespassers. This in turn caused the American settlers to call for military protection from the United States. So, Brig. Gen. William S. Harney, commander of the Department of Oregon, ordered Company D of the 9th U.S. Infantry to San Juan Island which was under the command of Capt. George E. Pickett. Believe it or not, this is not the conflict for which Pickett is most well known. What war is is Pickett much more famous for being involved in?
6. Pickett's men took up position on Griffin Bay to prevent the British from landing any troops to try and evict the American settlers. The British were worried that the Americans, considered as squatters, would occupy the island if something wasn't done. So, the governor of Vancouver Island, James Douglas, called in three warships to counter the American presence. The Americans countered by adding more troops and the British countered with more warships. By mid-August, there were 461 Americans with 14 cannons countered by five British ships with 70 guns and 2,140 men. At this time, not one shot had been fired by either military in this war.
7. While all this drama was unfolding, word finally reached Washington, D.C. as to what was happening and officials from both countries were shocked to find that a dead pig had brought both great powers to the brink of a shooting war. It was then that the President of the United States dispatched General Winfield Scott, who was the U.S. Army Commander and a veteran of the War of 1812 as well as a veteran of resolving border disputes, to the area to try and contain the situation. Who was this President during the time of the Pig War conflict?
8. During this standoff, something a bit unexpected happened as a result. This huge military escalation became something of a tourist attraction for the locals on both sides in the area and many of them ventured to San Juan Island to see it for themselves. In fact, so many people showed up that a permanent settlement know as San Juan Town sprang up and with the arrival of new settlers, saloons and brothels soon followed, attracting civilians and soldiers alike from both sides. With all these new businesses and settlers popping up, under which authority were they governed/regulated?
9. A little over a month after being dispatched, General Scott arrived in the area. Although he never went ashore, General Scott did the negotiating between both sides, and not long after his arrival, both sides reached an agreement to defuse the situation. What kind of agreement was General Scott able to broker between both sides in the Pig War?
10. With the chance of armed conflict abated and the US Civil War happening, the Pig War dispute was pushed into the background for the time being. But after the Civil War had ended, negotiations over the boundary dispute started anew. In 1871, the Treaty of Washington was ratified by Congress to allow arbitration to decide ownership of the islands and settle the border once and for all. It was decided that Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany would be the arbitrator and would decide which boundary would be used. The Kaiser appointed a commission that studied the situation for more than a year before making a decision. After going through all the evidence presented by both sides, wich side did they agree with in the end?
Source: Author
thelancinator
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
bloomsby before going online.
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