Four hundred and sixty Americans with fourteen…
August 1859 CE
The governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island, James Douglas, orders British Rear Admiral Robert L. Baynes to land marines on San Juan Island and engage the American soldiers under the command of Brigadier General William S. Harney. (Harney's forces had occupied the island since July 27, 1859.)
Baynes refuses, deciding that "two great nations in a war over a squabble about a pig" is foolish.
Local commanding officers on both sides have been given essentially the same orders: defend yourselves, but absolutely do not fire the first shot.
For several days, the British and U.S. soldiers will exchange insults, each side attempting to goad the other into firing the first shot, but discipline will hold on both sides, and thus no shots will be fired.
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