This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (March 2013) |
Aroostook War | |||||||
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Map showing the boundary claims and final border | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
6,000 | 15,000 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
None | None | ||||||
38 non-combat deaths |
The Aroostook War (sometimes called the Pork and Beans War[1]), or the Madawaska War,[2] was a military and civilian-involved confrontation in 1838–1839 between the United States and the United Kingdom over the international boundary between the British colony of New Brunswick and the U.S. state of Maine. The term "war" was rhetorical; local militia units were called out but never engaged in actual combat. The event is best described as an international incident.
Negotiations between British diplomat Baron Ashburton and United States Secretary of State Daniel Webster settled the dispute. The Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842 established the final boundary between the countries, giving most of the disputed area to Maine while preserving an overland connection between Lower Canada and the Maritime colonies.