The Aroostook War, also called the Pork and Beans War,the Lumberjack's War or the Northeastern Boundary Dispute, was an undeclared confrontation in 1838-39 between Americans and the UK regarding the international boundary between British North America and the United States. The dispute resulted in a mutually accepted boundary between the present-day state of Maine and provinces of New Brunswick and Québec. | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1839 (MDCCCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Official language(s) None (English de facto; French is also an administrative language) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... Motto: Spem reduxit (Hope restored) Capital Fredericton Largest city Saint John Official languages English, French (the only constitutionally bilingual province in the country) Government - Lieutenant-Governor Herménégilde Chiasson - Premier Shawn Graham (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 10 - Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st... The Webster-Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, settled the dispute over the location of the Maine-New Brunswick border between the United States and Great Britain and the shared use of the Great Lakes. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... British North America was an informal term first used in 1783, but uncommon before the Report on the Affairs of British North America (1839), called the Durham Report. ... British North America was an informal term first used in 1783, but uncommon before the Report on the Affairs of British North America (1839), called the Durham Report. ... Official language(s) None (English de facto; French is also an administrative language) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... Motto: Spem reduxit (Hope restored) Capital Fredericton Largest city Saint John Official languages English, French (the only constitutionally bilingual province in the country) Government - Lieutenant-Governor Herménégilde Chiasson - Premier Shawn Graham (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 10 - Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st... During the 1960s, a terrorist group known as the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) launched a decade of bombings, robberies and attacks on government offices. ...

Background

The 1783 Treaty of Paris did not satisfactorily determine the boundary between the British colony of New Brunswick (now the Canadian province of New Brunswick) and the District of Maine (then a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts). The boundary dispute worsened after Maine became a state in 1820 and, disregarding British claims, began granting land to settlers in the valley of the Aroostook River (the Aroostook is a tributary of the St. John River, which flows through the heart of New Brunswick, and drains into the Bay of Fundy). 1783 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Painting by Benjamin West depicting (from left to right) John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin. ... Canada consists of ten provinces and three territories. ... Motto: Spem reduxit (Hope restored) Capital Fredericton Largest city Saint John Official languages English, French (the only constitutionally bilingual province in the country) Government - Lieutenant-Governor Herménégilde Chiasson - Premier Shawn Graham (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 10 - Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st... The District of Maine was a legal designation for what is now the U.S. state of Maine from American independence until the Missouri Compromise on March 4, 1820, after which it gained its independence from Massachusetts and became the 23rd state in the Union. ... This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers, and should be edited to rectify this. ... Official language(s) English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Area  Ranked 44th  - Total 10,555 sq mi (27,360 km²)  - Width 183 miles (295 km)  - Length 113 miles (182 km)  - % water 13. ... Official language(s) None (English de facto; French is also an administrative language) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... 1820 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... A family of Russian settlers in the Caucasus region, ca. ... The Aroostook River is a tributary of the St. ... The Saint John River is a river, approximately 418 mi (673 km) long, located in the U.S. state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick. ... The Bay of Fundy (French: ) is a bay located on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. ...

The majority of early Aroostook River Valley settlers were from "over-home", that is, from the St. John River Valley, and were typically British subjects. Many were French-speaking "Brayons" — also nominally British subjects — who (at least jokingly) considered themselves to be in the unofficial "République du Madawaska", and thus disinterested in the machinations of the Americans and British. The population swelled in the wintertime when lumbermen were freed from farmwork to "long-pole" up the St. John River to the valley. These migrant lumbermen were a particular point of tension for the Americans. Some eventually settled permanently in the valley and improved their land claims. Most settlers found themselves too remote from the authorities to apply formally for land, and since the boundary was ambiguous it was uncertain which government was in authority, anyway. Disputes heated up as factions maneuvered for control over the best stands of trees in the valley. Les Brayons are a francophone people inhabiting the area in and around Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada. ... The Republic of Madawaska occupies the northwest corner of Madawaska County, New Brunswick (also known as the New Brunswick Panhandle), and lies partially in adjacent areas of Quebec and Aroostook County in the American state of Maine. ...

In 1831 the members of the Maine Legislature became concerned over the growing Maine/New Brunswick boundary question and took action by sending John Deane and Edward Kavanagh to northern Maine/northwestern New Brunswick to document the inhabitants and to assess the extent of trespass (from their point of view).

King William I of the Netherlands was asked to arbitrate the dispute in 1832. Although the British accepted the king's help, the U.S. Senate rejected it at Maine's request. King William I of the Netherlands, born William Frederik of Orange-Nassau (The Hague, 24 August 1772 - Berlin, 12 December 1843), was the second King of the Netherlands (the first king was Louis I Napoleon Bonaparte). ... Year 1832 (MDCCCXXXII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Seal of the U.S. Senate Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      Senate composition following 2006 elections The United States Senate is...

"Hostilities"

Flag purportedly raised by Baker in 1827. Curiously, this is the flag now used by the Brayon as the Flag of the Mythical République du Madawaska^[1]

American woodsmen including John Baker, were sent to agitate against the British and press American claims. On 04 July, 1827, Baker raised an "American" flag made by his wife on the western side of the junction of what is now Baker Brook and the St. John River. Baker was subsequently arrested by British Colonial authorities, fined £25, and jailed until he paid his fine.^[2] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Les Brayons are a francophone people inhabiting the area in and around Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada. ... The Republic of Madawaska occupies the northwest corner of Madawaska County, New Brunswick (also known as the New Brunswick Panhandle), and lies partially in adjacent areas of Quebec and Aroostook County in the American state of Maine. ... John Baker (January 17, 1796 - March 10, 1868) is the namesake of the towns of Baker Lake (Lac Baker) and Baker Brook, New Brunswick, just west of Edmundston. ...

Both American and New Brunswick lumbermen were cutting timber in the disputed territory during the winter of 1838-1839, and in February, New Brunswick loggers seized the American land agent who was exercising illegal jurisdiction. The "war" was now under way, led by the governors of the respective sides, New Brunswick Governor Sir John Harvey and Maine Governor Edward Kent. Sir John Harvey (April 23, 1778 – March 22, 1852) was a British army officer and a Lieutenant Governor. ... Edward Kent (January 8, 1802–May 19, 1877) was the Governor of the U.S. state of Maine during the Aroostook War. ...

Maine and New Brunswick called out their militiamen, and the United States Congress, at Maine's insistence, authorized a force of 50,000 men and appropriated $10 million to meet the emergency. Maine only committed somewhere between 3,000 and 10,000 troops to the conflict, and these never actually left their garrison at Hancock Barracks in Houlton, in part due to the actions of Major R. M. Kirby who was commander of the post and three companies of the U.S. 1^st Artillery Regiment. Four companies of the 11th Regiment marched to the area from Quebec City to represent Canada's interests. Meanwhile, New Brunswick armed every tributary of the St John River that flowed from the Aroostook Territory with regular and militia soldiers. Maine created an Aroostook County specifically to lay claim to the area. President Martin Van Buren dispatched General Winfield Scott and New Brunswick sent Governor Harvey to the "war zone," and the men arranged an agreement in March of 1839 between officials of Maine and New Brunswick that averted actual fighting. Britain agreed to refer the dispute to a boundary commission, and the matter was settled in 1842 by the Webster-Ashburton Treaty. Lexington Minuteman representing militia minuteman John Parker. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups (as of November 7, 2006 elections) Democratic Party Republican... For people named Garrison, see Garrison (disambiguation) Garrison House, built by William Damm in 1675 at Dover, New Hampshire Garrison (from the French garnison, itself from the verb garnir, to equip) is the collective term for the body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but... Location of town of Houlton in state of Maine Houlton is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, on the United States-Canada border, located at . ... Aroostook County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. ... Martin Van Buren (December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862), nicknamed Old Kinderhook, was the 8th President of the United States from 1837 to 1841. ... For other uses of Winfield Scott, see Winfield Scott (disambiguation). ... The Webster-Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, settled the dispute over the location of the Maine-New Brunswick border between the United States and Great Britain and the shared use of the Great Lakes. ...

Settlement

The compromise reached by Daniel Webster and Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton awarded 7,015 square miles (18,170 km²) to the United States and 5,012 square miles (12,980 km²) to Great Britain. Also given to the United States was an area that later was found to contain the Mesabi iron ore deposits in present-day Minnesota. Retention by the British of the northern area of the disputed territory assured them of year-round overland military communications between Lower Canada and Nova Scotia by way of the Halifax Road. The U.S. federal government agreed to pay the states of Maine and Massachusetts $150,000 each, and they were to be reimbursed by the United States for expenses incurred while encroaching on New Brunswick territory. Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was a leading American statesman during the nations antebellum era. ... Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton (October 1774 - May 13, 1848) was an English politician and financier. ... This article is about the unit of measure. ... The Mesabi Iron Range is a vast deposit of iron ore and the largest of four major iron ranges in the region collectively known as the Iron Range of Minnesota. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Standard atomic weight 55. ... Iron ore (Banded iron formation) Manganese ore Lead ore Gold ore An ore is a volume of rock containing components or minerals in a mode of occurrence which renders it valuable for mining. ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ... Map of Lower Canada (green) Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791-1841). ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit(Latin) One defends and the other conquers Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Regional Municipality Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis - Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 11 - Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... The Halifax Road or Grand Communication Route was used by the British as an overland communication link between the British colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Lower Canada (Quebec), and Upper Canada (Ontario) in the winter months when the St. ... ...

Webster used a map found in the Paris Archives by the American Jared Sparks (and said to have been marked with a red line by Benjamin Franklin in Paris in 1782) to persuade Maine and Massachusetts to accept the agreement. As the map showed the disputed region belonged to the British, it helped convince the representatives of those states to accept the compromise, lest the "truth" reach British ears and convince the British to refuse a compromise. It was later discovered that the Americans had hidden their knowledge of the Franklin map. A map said to be favorable to the United States claims was apparently used in Britain, but this map was never revealed. Some claim the Franklin map was a fake created by Britain to pressure the American negotiators as their map placed the entire disputed area on the American side of the border (see John A. Garraty, The American Nation, Houghton Mifflin, p. 336). Jared Sparks (10 May 1789 - 14 March 1866) was a U.S. historian, educator, Unitarian minister, and president of Harvard University. ... Benjamin Franklin (January 17 [O.S. January 6] 1706 – April 17, 1790) was one of the most well known Founding Fathers of the United States. ...

Ultimately, the only "losers" were the original Brayon (and Native) inhabitants of the region, who saw their homeland and people split between the American state of Maine and the British colony of New Brunswick. Les Brayons are a francophone people inhabiting the area in and around Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada. ... Olmec script These glyphs written in Epi-Olmec script, the earliest examples of writing in the Americas, give a calendar date of 7. ... Official language(s) None (English de facto; French is also an administrative language) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... Motto: Spem reduxit (Hope restored) Capital Fredericton Largest city Saint John Official languages English, French (the only constitutionally bilingual province in the country) Government - Lieutenant-Governor Herménégilde Chiasson - Premier Shawn Graham (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 10 - Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st...

The war, while avoiding actual combat, was not without casualties. Private Hiram T. Smith, from Maine, died of unknown causes while in service to his state. He is buried in Maine on the side of the Military Road (U.S. Route 2) in the middle of the Haynesville Woods. Several other Maine militiamen died of illness while on the Aroostook expedition. Private Hiram T. Smith is a legendary casualty of the bloodless Maine Aroostook War, having died in 1839. ... United States Highway 2 is an east-west United States Highway. ...

See also

• Caroline Affair
• Republic of Indian Stream
• Republic of Madawaska
• List of conflicts in Canada

The Caroline Affair refers to a series of events beginning in 1837 that strained relations between the United States and Canada (and thus Britain). ... The Republic of Indian Stream was a small, constitutional republic in North America that existed from July 9, 1832 to 1835. ... The Republic of Madawaska occupies the northwest corner of Madawaska County, New Brunswick (also known as the New Brunswick Panhandle), and lies partially in adjacent areas of Quebec and Aroostook County in the American state of Maine. ... List of conflicts in Canada is a chronological timeline of events that includes wars, battles, skirmishes, major terrorist attacks and other related items that have occurred in the country of Canadas geographical area. ...

External links

• Scott Michaud's The Aroostook War
• Hiram Smith, hero of the war that wasn't
• The Upper St. John River Valley: The Boundary Dispute
• Esprit de Corps Magazine article: The Aroostook War
• Deane and Kavanagh's 1831 Aroostook Valley legislative report (covering present-day Crouseville, Maine)
• Officers in Service During the Aroostook War
• Aroostook War Muster Rolls

References