Presidents at Peace: Martin Van Buren, John Tyler and the Pork and Beans War
It was called the Aroostook War, but I like its colloquial name better, the Pork and Beans War. It was a confrontation that occurred in 1838 and 1839 between the United States and the United Kingdom during the administration of Martin Van Buren. It was a squabble over the international boundary between the British colony of New Brunswick and the US state of Maine. Although it is called a war, it had no casualties and was resolved through diplomacy and peaceful compromise.
When the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783 ending the Revolutionary War, the treaty did not clearly decide the boundary between British North America (Canada) and the United States. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts thereafter began issuing land grants in its District of Maine that included areas that the British claimed. When the Jay Treaty was signed in 1794, it was agreed that a commission should determine the source of the St. Croix River, which in turn would help decide where the border between the two areas should be. The parties sent a collaborative survey team and in 1798 the commission decided the southernmost portion of this boundary, from the mouth of the St. Croix to its source, which was determined to be the Chiputneticook Lakes. This commission did not finalize details of the border north of the lakes.
During the War of 1812, the British occupied most of eastern Maine and intended to permanently annex the region into Canada. The Treaty of Ghent ended the war in 1814 and reestablished the boundary line of the 1783 treaty. A commission was appointed which resolved most of the issues surrounding the boundary, but this issue was still unresolved.
When Maine broke away from Massachusetts in 1820 and became a separate state, the status and location of the border needed to be resolved. The British wanted the northern half of Maine in order to cut travel time between Quebec City and Halifax almost in half. By September 1825, Maine and Massachusetts land agents issued deeds, sold timber permits, took censuses, and recorded births, deaths, and marriages in the contested area.
Growing tensions
Some itinerant lumbermen settled in the Saint John valley and various factions argued over control over the best stands of trees. On July 4, 1827, a man named John Baker raised an American flag on the western (now Canadian) side of the junction of Baker Brook and the Saint John River. New Brunswick authorities subsequently arrested Baker, fined him £25, and held him in jail until he paid his fine.
In preparation for a United States census in 1830, the Maine Legislature sent John Deane and Edward James to the disputed area to document the numbers of inhabitants. Some of the residents of the west bank of the Saint John River filed requests for inclusion of their land in Maine. A local resident from the east bank of the Saint John river alerted local representatives of the New Brunswick militia, who threatened to arrest any resident attempting to organize to join Maine.
An 1831 arbitration by King William I of the Netherlands proposed a compromise of the border dispute by drawing a line between the two opponents' proposals. The British government accepted this decision, but Maine rejected it and the new treaty failed to pass the United States Senate.
In 1835 the British rescinded their acceptance of the Dutch compromise and offered another boundary, which the Americans rejected. The United States offered to ask Maine to accept the St. John River as the boundary, which the British rejected. In 1837 Maine took a special census. Census Representative Greeley began a census of the upper Aroostook River territory. Governor John Harvey of New Brunswick had Greeley arrested. Letters from New Brunswick threatened military action if Maine continued to exercise jurisdiction in the basins of the Aroostook river. Governor Robert Dunlap of Maine issued a general order announcing that a foreign power had invaded Maine. In March 1838 the state demanded that the federal government enforce the claim, but President Van Buren refused. The state legislature authorized $800,000 for military defense, and Congress gave the President authority to raise a militia.
Both American and New Brunswick lumbermen cut timber in the disputed territory during the winter of 1838–1839. On January 24, 1839, the Maine Legislature authorized the newly elected Governor John Fairfield to send Maine's land agent, Rufus McIntire, the Penobscot County sheriff, and a posse of volunteer militia to the upper Aroostook to pursue and arrest the New Brunswickers. The posse left Bangor, Maine, on February 8,1839. The posse began confiscating New Brunswick lumbering equipment, and sending any lumbermen caught and arrested back to Maine for trial. A group of New Brunswick lumbermen learned of this and gathered their own posse, and seized the Maine land agent and his assistants in the middle of the night.
Terming the Americans "political prisoners," Sir John Harvey sent correspondence to Washington, DC, saying that he lacked the authority to act on the arrests without instructions from London, which he awaited. He demanded removal from the region of all Maine forces. He then sent his military commander and ordered the Maine militia to leave. Captain Rines and the others refused and the Maine forces then took the New Brunswick military commander into custody.
On February 15, 1839, the Maine Legislature authorized militia Major General Isaac Hodsdon to lead 1,000 additional volunteers to add to the posse on the upper Aroostook River. On February 19, 1839, the Maine legislature also called for a general draft of Maine militia. Maine militia companies mustered in Bangor and traveled to the Upper Aroostook.
Martin Van Buren assigned Brigadier General Winfield Scott to visit the conflict area. He arrived in Boston in early March 1839. Congress authorized a force of 50,000 men and appropriated $10 million to the anticipated conflict. On the advice of Brigadier General Scott, Maine recalled the militia in May and June 1839. The US army posted troops at Fort Fairfield in April 1839 and Fort Kent in October 1839. Four companies of the British 11th Regiment marched to the area from Quebec City to defend Canadian interests.
Neither nation wanted a war that would have greatly interfered with the two nations' trade. In 1840, a Whig government was elected in Washington and Daniel Webster became Secretary of State. Now under the administration of John Tyler, Webster and Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton, reached a compromise, known as the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of Washington in 1842. It settled the Maine-Canada boundary and the boundary between Canada and New Hampshire, Michigan and Minnesota. The British retained the northern area of the disputed territory, including the Halifax Road. The U.S. federal government agreed to pay the states of Maine and Massachusetts $150,000 each for the loss of the lands of their states while the United States reimbursed them for newly acquired territory in the Northwest Territories and for expenses incurred during the time Maine's armed civil posse administered the truce period.
While Lord Palmerston and many Conservatives denounced the treaty, Conservatives such as Benjamin Disraeli supported it. Similarly, Maine and Massachusetts complained but were happy to be paid for the loss of territory. Canada was unhappy, as it viewed the treaty as the British improving relations with the United States by permitting American territory to separate Lower Canada from the Maritimes. This ended the Aroostook War, without direct combat.
When the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783 ending the Revolutionary War, the treaty did not clearly decide the boundary between British North America (Canada) and the United States. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts thereafter began issuing land grants in its District of Maine that included areas that the British claimed. When the Jay Treaty was signed in 1794, it was agreed that a commission should determine the source of the St. Croix River, which in turn would help decide where the border between the two areas should be. The parties sent a collaborative survey team and in 1798 the commission decided the southernmost portion of this boundary, from the mouth of the St. Croix to its source, which was determined to be the Chiputneticook Lakes. This commission did not finalize details of the border north of the lakes.
During the War of 1812, the British occupied most of eastern Maine and intended to permanently annex the region into Canada. The Treaty of Ghent ended the war in 1814 and reestablished the boundary line of the 1783 treaty. A commission was appointed which resolved most of the issues surrounding the boundary, but this issue was still unresolved.
When Maine broke away from Massachusetts in 1820 and became a separate state, the status and location of the border needed to be resolved. The British wanted the northern half of Maine in order to cut travel time between Quebec City and Halifax almost in half. By September 1825, Maine and Massachusetts land agents issued deeds, sold timber permits, took censuses, and recorded births, deaths, and marriages in the contested area.
Growing tensions
Some itinerant lumbermen settled in the Saint John valley and various factions argued over control over the best stands of trees. On July 4, 1827, a man named John Baker raised an American flag on the western (now Canadian) side of the junction of Baker Brook and the Saint John River. New Brunswick authorities subsequently arrested Baker, fined him £25, and held him in jail until he paid his fine.
In preparation for a United States census in 1830, the Maine Legislature sent John Deane and Edward James to the disputed area to document the numbers of inhabitants. Some of the residents of the west bank of the Saint John River filed requests for inclusion of their land in Maine. A local resident from the east bank of the Saint John river alerted local representatives of the New Brunswick militia, who threatened to arrest any resident attempting to organize to join Maine.
An 1831 arbitration by King William I of the Netherlands proposed a compromise of the border dispute by drawing a line between the two opponents' proposals. The British government accepted this decision, but Maine rejected it and the new treaty failed to pass the United States Senate.
In 1835 the British rescinded their acceptance of the Dutch compromise and offered another boundary, which the Americans rejected. The United States offered to ask Maine to accept the St. John River as the boundary, which the British rejected. In 1837 Maine took a special census. Census Representative Greeley began a census of the upper Aroostook River territory. Governor John Harvey of New Brunswick had Greeley arrested. Letters from New Brunswick threatened military action if Maine continued to exercise jurisdiction in the basins of the Aroostook river. Governor Robert Dunlap of Maine issued a general order announcing that a foreign power had invaded Maine. In March 1838 the state demanded that the federal government enforce the claim, but President Van Buren refused. The state legislature authorized $800,000 for military defense, and Congress gave the President authority to raise a militia.
Both American and New Brunswick lumbermen cut timber in the disputed territory during the winter of 1838–1839. On January 24, 1839, the Maine Legislature authorized the newly elected Governor John Fairfield to send Maine's land agent, Rufus McIntire, the Penobscot County sheriff, and a posse of volunteer militia to the upper Aroostook to pursue and arrest the New Brunswickers. The posse left Bangor, Maine, on February 8,1839. The posse began confiscating New Brunswick lumbering equipment, and sending any lumbermen caught and arrested back to Maine for trial. A group of New Brunswick lumbermen learned of this and gathered their own posse, and seized the Maine land agent and his assistants in the middle of the night.
Terming the Americans "political prisoners," Sir John Harvey sent correspondence to Washington, DC, saying that he lacked the authority to act on the arrests without instructions from London, which he awaited. He demanded removal from the region of all Maine forces. He then sent his military commander and ordered the Maine militia to leave. Captain Rines and the others refused and the Maine forces then took the New Brunswick military commander into custody.
On February 15, 1839, the Maine Legislature authorized militia Major General Isaac Hodsdon to lead 1,000 additional volunteers to add to the posse on the upper Aroostook River. On February 19, 1839, the Maine legislature also called for a general draft of Maine militia. Maine militia companies mustered in Bangor and traveled to the Upper Aroostook.
Martin Van Buren assigned Brigadier General Winfield Scott to visit the conflict area. He arrived in Boston in early March 1839. Congress authorized a force of 50,000 men and appropriated $10 million to the anticipated conflict. On the advice of Brigadier General Scott, Maine recalled the militia in May and June 1839. The US army posted troops at Fort Fairfield in April 1839 and Fort Kent in October 1839. Four companies of the British 11th Regiment marched to the area from Quebec City to defend Canadian interests.
Neither nation wanted a war that would have greatly interfered with the two nations' trade. In 1840, a Whig government was elected in Washington and Daniel Webster became Secretary of State. Now under the administration of John Tyler, Webster and Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton, reached a compromise, known as the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of Washington in 1842. It settled the Maine-Canada boundary and the boundary between Canada and New Hampshire, Michigan and Minnesota. The British retained the northern area of the disputed territory, including the Halifax Road. The U.S. federal government agreed to pay the states of Maine and Massachusetts $150,000 each for the loss of the lands of their states while the United States reimbursed them for newly acquired territory in the Northwest Territories and for expenses incurred during the time Maine's armed civil posse administered the truce period.
While Lord Palmerston and many Conservatives denounced the treaty, Conservatives such as Benjamin Disraeli supported it. Similarly, Maine and Massachusetts complained but were happy to be paid for the loss of territory. Canada was unhappy, as it viewed the treaty as the British improving relations with the United States by permitting American territory to separate Lower Canada from the Maritimes. This ended the Aroostook War, without direct combat.