The
Pig War was a confrontation in 1859 between the
United States and the
British Empire over the boundary between the US and the
British Empire. The territory in dispute was the
San Juan Islands, which lie between
Vancouver Island and the
North American mainland. The Pig War, so called because it was triggered by the shooting of a
pig, is also called the
Pig Episode, the
Pig and Potato War, the
San Juan Boundary Dispute or the
Northwestern Boundary Dispute. With no shots exchanged and no human casualties, this dispute was a
bloodless conflict.