Redoubts in Early American Forts

[Irish in Tacoma]

The San Juan Islands, in Washington State between the Olympic Penninsula and Vancouver Island, BC was once home to two encampments: British Camp and American Camp. There was a time in the 1800s when we almost went to war with Great Britian in a little skirmish known as the Pig War. Both America and Great Britain (via the Hudson's Bay Company) claimed ownership of the islands, and so both had stationed soldiers there. The British had a nice area on the lee side, with a beautiful harbor area. The Americans were on a rocky outcrop on the other side, with very stark facilities. As the story goes, a pig owned by a guy on one side (I can't remember who's pig it was) got loose and into the garden of guy on the other side, tempers flared, things escalated, and the war started. Fortunately, there was another little skirmish known as the American Civil War going on at the time, so the incident was never supported by either side and it ended as abruptly as it started.

Now for the historical factoid. The redouts at the American Camp were constructed by a young West Point trained Army engineer officer named Lt Roberts. He went on to become famous as the author of Robert's Rules of Order.

[macwilkin]

The San Juan Islands, in Washington State between the Olympic Penninsula and Vancouver Island, BC was once home to two encampments: British Camp and American Camp. There was a time in the 1800s when we almost went to war with Great Britian in a little skirmish known as the Pig War. Both America and Great Britain (via the Hudson's Bay Company) claimed ownership of the islands, and so both had stationed soldiers there. The British had a nice area on the lee side, with a beautiful harbor area. The Americans were on a rocky outcrop on the other side, with very stark facilities. As the story goes, a pig owned by a guy on one side (I can't remember who's pig it was) got loose and into the garden of guy on the other side, tempers flared, things escalated, and the war started. Fortunately, there was another little skirmish known as the American Civil War going on at the time, so the incident was never supported by either side and it ended as abruptly as it started.

Now for the historical factoid. The redouts at the American Camp were constructed by a young West Point trained Army engineer officer named Lt Roberts. He went on to become famous as the author of Robert's Rules of Order.

The garden belonged to an American, and the pig in question belonged to a HBC employee.

The American officer commanding was Capt. George Pickett, who later went on to serve in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

San Juan is now a NPS site:

http://www.nps.gov/archive/sajh/Pig_War_new.htm

Cheers

Todd