U.S. Wars That History Teachers Probably Never Mentioned

Eggs, piracy, a pig. This seemingly disparate list has one unifying theme. All of the items have at one time or another been the pretext for sending U.S. soldiers into action. In fact, there have been obscure wars in almost every corner of the globe involving U.S. forces. So if you’d like to learn about the lesser-known conflicts that have entangled the American military over the years, read on...

King Philip’s War (1675-76)

King Philip’s War, sometimes called the First Indian War, actually happened before the United States existed: it took place in New England during the early days of British settlement. King Philip, a Wampanoag chief originally called Metacom, led the Native Americans in a bitter 14-month war of resistance against the colonialists. The British settlements had formed a military alliance, the New England Confederation, as early as 1643. It was this force that King Philip’s warriors faced in 1675.

Back and forth

In June, the Wampanoag raided the Swansea settlement in Massachusetts, killing numbers of colonialists. The British swiftly retaliated, destroying Philip’s village, Mount Hope on Rhode Island. The fighting spread throughout the Plymouth Colony in the following months with heavy casualties on both sides. The death of King Philip in August 1676 effectively ended most Wampanoag resistance although sporadic violence persisted until the 1678 Treaty of Casco.

Northwest Indian War (1785-95)

The Northwest Indian War, sometimes known as the Ohio War, was a series of skirmishes and battles for control of the American northwest. A union of Native American peoples with British support opposed the U.S. forces and their allies the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes. Bitter hostilities ground on for a decade across the Ohio and Illinois territories.

Futile efforts

The Northwest Confederacy, a group of Native Americans led by the Huron people, was determined to hold on to what they regarded as their lands. But pressure from settlers backed by the U.S. Army was ultimately irresistible. Final Native American defeat came at the Battle of Fallen Timbers near Lake Erie in 1794. The next year, the Treaty of Greenville annexed much of the First Nation lands.

Quasi War (1798-1800)

Although war was never formally declared, this maritime conflict between America and France was certainly fought with venom. The Quasi War was ignited by a dispute about another war, one that was raging at the time between France and Britain. The U.S., led by President Washington at the time, had a policy of neutrality. But the French had other ideas.

Hard feelings

France was keen that the Americans should fight alongside it against the British. Meanwhile, the U.S. decided its interests lay elsewhere and signed a peace and trade agreement with the British, the Jay Treaty. Enraged, the French began to harry American shipping. America responded by expanding its navy and attacking French vessels. Skirmishes went on for a couple of years until Napoleon Bonaparte came to power in 1800. He took a different tack and negotiated peace with the U.S., bringing the conflict to an end.

The Barbary Wars (1801-05 & 1815-16)

The Barbary states were territories along the north coast of Africa; America engaged in wars with two of them. The first conflict was with Tripoli, now part of Libya, and at its heart was piracy. The Tripolitans had been seizing American ships as they sailed through the Mediterranean and holding crews and passengers hostage. After various actions, America’s navy quashed Tripoli’s resistance in 1804 after a successful raid on the city.

Won't be pushed around

The Second Barbary War against Algiers started because American shipping was still being attacked by pirates in the Mediterranean. A U.S. Navy squadron led by Commodore Stephen Decatur captured two Algerian warships and took many prisoners. Tripoli’s leader, Dey Omar, had little choice but to accept American terms. U.S. merchant shipping could now sail through the Mediterranean in safety.

Winnebago War (1827)

The Winnebago War in Wisconsin started after an extremely unfortunate misunderstanding. Someone told Native Americans from the Ho-Chunk tribe that two of their fellows had been put to death by the U.S. – a claim that was entirely untrue. But, enraged by this “news,” the Ho-Chunk raided a settlement near the city of Prairie du Chien, killing two men. They also attacked a ship.

Facing consequences

U.S. troops were dispatched from St. Louis to deal with the Ho-Chunk warriors, and a local militia was also called up. Eventually, a force of more than 800 was ready to attack the Ho-Chunk. The tribe’s leaders agreed to hand over one of their own, Red Bird, and five others. This brought an end to the conflict. Red Bird died in jail and the others were sentenced to death, although they were eventually pardoned.

Black Hawk War (1832)

Sauk warrior Black Hawk may have been 65 years old in 1832, but he was still more than ready to fight against the U.S. At the head of a 1,000-strong mixed group of Kickapoo, Fox, and Sauk — including some 500 fighters — he crossed the Mississippi River. The aim of the band was to take back a portion of Illinois territory that they believed was rightfully theirs.

Lopsided outcome

This land had been signed over to the U.S. in an 1805 treaty, but Black Hawk and his followers believed the agreement had been made in bad faith. Alarmed settlers formed a defensive force of some 7,000 that included local militia, some Native Americans, and U.S. soldiers. In the ensuing fighting, as many as 600 of Black Hawk’s people were killed while some 70 settlers and troops lost their lives. The upshot was that most Native Americans fled the Northwest Territory, leaving it to the settlers.

Toledo War (1835)

The Toledo War was sparked by nothing more than a poorly drafted legal document endorsed by Congress in 1787. The Northwest Ordinance dealt with how territory should be carved up between states. It included one stipulation which set the boundary between Michigan and Ohio along the shores of Lakes Michigan and Erie. But the ordinance was vague enough to allow for later dispute between the two states. Inaccurate contemporary maps hardly helped matters.

No real fighting

Arguments broke out over a 468-square-mile parcel of land known as the Toledo Strip. Both sides raised militias with a view to asserting their rights with force if necessary. Things came to a head in 1835 with the Battle of Phillips Corners. In fact, it was a relatively tame affair with only warning shots fired. Finally, in 1836, Michigan abandoned its claim to the Toledo Strip in exchange for its place in the Union. Peace was restored.

Fiji expeditions (1855 & 1859)

The U.S. mounted two military expeditions to Fiji in the mid-19th century in defense of their interests on the remote Pacific islands. The first intervention in 1855 came after civil disturbance in Fiji had resulted in some damage to American-owned property. A U.S. Navy ship was dispatched to the island to demand compensation. The chief of Fiji, Seru Cakobau, couldn’t or wouldn’t pay up, so the mission ended inconclusively.

Forced to act

After another incident in which two American citizens lost their lives on the island of Waya, the U.S. sent a second naval expedition in the shape of U.S.S. Vandalia. This resulted in the Battle of Somatti, when some 300 Fijian warriors faced off against a force of American Marines. The poorly armed Fijians sustained heavy casualties; several Americans were wounded, but they won the day. That battle, and the distraction of Civil War in the U.S., brought an end to the affair.

The Utah War (1858)

After various vicious clashes in Illinois and Missouri, in 1847 Mormon leader Brigham Young decided it was time to head West. Many of his followers agreed, packed up, and went with him. They hoped that moving out West would bring them peace and freedom to pursue their beliefs. Young and the other faithful reached Utah where they settled and founded Salt Lake City.

Too much power

In 1850, Congress approved the founding of the Utah Territory with Brigham Young appointed as governor. But in 1857, President James Buchanan, apparently concerned by the power the governor wielded over his people, decided that Young should be replaced — and he sent 2,500 U.S. soldiers to enforce his will. Young responded by forming a militia which began to plunder Army livestock and stores. Thankfully, Young and Buchanan reached a peace agreement before it actually came to a true war. 

The Pig War (1859)

The setting was San Juan Island in the far northwest corner of the U.S. and the year was 1859. Island resident Lyman Cutlar spotted a pig snuffling through his garden. Infuriated, Cutlar took drastic action: he shot and killed the unfortunate animal. The pig belonged to Britain’s Hudson Bay Company, which took a very dim view of the incident, threatening to arrest and deport Cutlar. Now, ownership of San Juan Island was hotly disputed. The British, colonial rulers of Canada, said it was theirs. The Americans, on the other hand, were certain they owned it.

Almost a huge mistake

In the aftermath of the pig incident, Britain went further than threatening retribution only on Cutlar. They said they would deport all 18 Americans living on the island. Both sides now dispatched armed forces to the scene. Eventually, appalled at the prospect of a war caused by the death of a single pig, senior government officials from both countries restored sanity and peace. Today, San Juan Island falls firmly under U.S. jurisdiction.

The Great Egg War (1863)

Many of us may well have no idea what a murre is. It’s a seabird and large numbers of these creatures and other avian species nest on the 211 acres of craggy rocks that make up the Farallon Islands off California’s coast. And in 1863 the common murre’s eggs nearly sparked a full-blown conflict, the Great Egg War. So what was at the heart of this seemingly insane clash?

Hands off the eggs

It was the price of eggs. As a 2019 Smithsonian Magazine article pointed out, hens’ eggs were changing hands for as much as $30 each in today’s money. The huge influx of people drawn by the Californian Gold Rush had caused a chronic egg shortage. So murre eggs became highly valuable. Trouble started when a band of Italian egg merchants clashed with the Pacific Egg Company. Two were killed and others wounded. The Pacific Egg Company emerged victorious, but the U.S. Army expelled it from the islands in 1881. 

Shimonoseki Straits campaign (1863)

The Shimonoseki Straits are an important maritime route between two of Japan’s principal islands, Kyushu and Honshu. The channel became bitterly contested in 1863 after the Japanese Emperor Komei had ordered the deportation of all foreigners from his country. The Choshu clan which controlled the Straits began to fire on foreign shipping, including an American merchantman, Pembroke.

Escalation

The U.S. Navy reacted to this incident in July 1863 by sailing a battleship into the channel, the U.S.S. Wyoming. It sank two Choshu vessels and damaged another with the loss of four American sailors. But the Choshu warships and shore cannons continued to fire on foreign shipping. Then in September 1864, a joint British, Dutch, French, and American force crushed the Choshu. Foreign merchant and naval shipping could once again pass through the Shimonoseki Straits unimpeded.

Sheepeater War (1879)

The Sheepeater War started after almost-certainly-false allegations of murder were leveled against some Bannock and Shoshone Native Americans. This group lived in the mountains between Montana and Idaho and were known as the Sheepeaters, because they hunted the long-horned sheep that lived among the peaks. It was claimed that some of the Sheepeaters had murdered five Chinese miners and two gold prospectors.

One big misunderstanding

But it seems likely that the real killers had disguised themselves as Native Americans. Even so, U.S. troops led by General O.O. Howard set off to apprehend the Sheepeaters. The soldiers destroyed an abandoned village but then walked into an ambush in which two of them were wounded. After that there were more inconclusive clashes until, heavily outgunned and outnumbered, a party of Weiser Shoshone – a sub-group of the larger Shoshone tribe – surrendered. These Native Americans denied all knowledge of prospector or miner murders and eventually were relocated to Idaho’s Fort Hall Reservation.

Second Samoan Civil War (1898-99)

The Second Samoan Civil War broke out in 1898, just four years after the first one had ended. At issue was who should rule the islands as king. This conflict drew in foreign powers with commercial and strategic interests including America. British and U.S. forces supported Samoan troops, while the German soldiers bolstered local rebels.

Ulterior motives

The conflict came to a head with the Second Battle of Vailele in 1889. German-backed Samoan rebels overcame the British, American, and Samoan force fighting in support of Prince Tanu’s claim to the throne. In the end, it was actually Samoan sovereignty that was defeated, for later that year the British and Americans signed a treaty with the Germans, the Tripartite Agreement. This carved up Samoa into the U.S.-governed Eastern Islands and the German-run Western Islands.

Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901)

The Boxer Rebellion was a popular uprising against foreign influence which was backed by the Chinese authorities. The Boxers were an underground group who believed that their secret rituals made them indestructible even in the face of gunfire. The aim of the uprising was to drive outsiders — particularly Westerners and Christian missionaries — from Chinese soil. But European and American powers stood in their way.

Quashing the rebellion

After attacks and murders of Europeans and Chinese Christians, an 18,000-strong international force was assembled to suppress the Boxer Rebellion. Included in this army was a contingent of some 2,500 American troops, among them nearly 500 U.S. Marines. After bitter fighting, the Boxers were vanquished, and besieged Europeans holed up in Beijing were relieved. During the campaign, American enlisted men won 33 Medals of Honor. 

The Philippine-American War (1899-1902)

Starting in 1899 the Philippine-American War was a rebellion by Filipinos intent on winning independence for their nation. As the Britannica website points out, this was basically an extension of the Filipino battle against Spanish imperial rule which had ended in 1898. But now the colonial enemy was the armed might of the U.S.

All for naught

General Emilio Aguinaldo led a determined Filipino independence movement. Hostilities broke out in Manila in February 1899 with Filipino rebels defeated by U.S. soldiers. The war rumbled on across the Philippines with the rebels waging guerilla warfare even after Aguinaldo’s capture. Most Filipino resistance ended by 1902, although sporadic fighting continued for several years.

The Moro Rebellion (1901-13)

After the United States emerged victorious from the Spanish-American War in 1899, it took control of the Philippines. But some Filipinos were far from content with American rule. This gave rise to a series of rebellions, the most sustained of which came from the Moro people who had a long tradition of fighting external rule. They were Muslims and lived in the southern Philippines. 

Bloody battle

Resistance to American rule in other parts of the Philippines was successfully suppressed with the signing of a peace agreement in 1902. But the Moro fought on. Eventually, the Moro were defeated at the savage Battle of Bud Bagsak in 1913 by an American detachment led by General John J. Pershing. According to J.R. Arnold’s The Moro War, the rebels’ force of 500 men was completely wiped out, while the 1,200-strong American force saw just 14 killed and 25 more wounded.

Mexican Border War (1910-19)

The nine-year Mexican Border War saw a series of skirmishes on the border between the U.S. and its southern neighbor. The situation was somewhat complicated by the fact that the period also encompassed World War I. The Germans tried to incite the Mexicans to attack the U.S., which hardly helped to ease tensions. The turmoil in Mexico that resulted from the revolutionary action there also exacerbated the situation. 

Gunfight breaks out

Perhaps the most serious engagement of the Border War came in August 1918 with the Battle of Ambos Nogales. This took place at the city of Nogales, which straddled the border between Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora. Somehow, a dispute between Mexican and U.S. border guards escalated into a gunfight between soldiers from both sides. After several hours of fighting and a number of casualties, a ceasefire was called and the conflict was over. Further border incidents largely came to an end in 1919.

The West Virginia Coal Wars (1912-21)

The West Virginian Coal Wars involved a series of miners’ strikes and violent confrontations with mine-owners backed by state troopers and militias. The miners worked in extremely dangerous conditions, with accidents and fatalities far from rare. This prompted the workers to organize themselves with the formation of the United Mine Workers. But the owners were bitterly opposed to this organization, leading to a series of fierce conflicts that often escalated into violence.

On the march

The most serious of the confrontations came in 1921 with the Battle of Blair Mountain. Thousands of West-Virginian miners had embarked on a march from the town of Marmet to Mingo County to demand the release of arrested men. Blair Mountain lay on their route. Don Chafin, Logan County’s sheriff, led an armed militia against the miners. It took intervention by the U.S. Army to end the deadly fighting.

The Secret War in Laos (1964-73)

Your history teachers, we’re reasonably sure, would have mentioned the Vietnam War. But there’s every chance that they left out events in neighboring Laos in the years stretching from 1964 up to 1973. It was actually the CIA that ran a clandestine high-altitude bombing campaign against the tiny nation of Laos, population 6.7 million, just to the west of Vietnam. 

A whole lot of bombs

According to the History website, the CIA’s aim in the intensive bombing campaign was to overturn the Communist regime led by Pathet Lao. This campaign can be seen as an obscure backwater of the Cold War between America and the Soviet Union. During its operations, the U.S. Air Force dropped more than 2 million tons of bombs on the unfortunate Laotians. To put that in perspective, according to Wikipedia, U.S. and British forces combined are estimated to have dropped roughly 2.7 million tons of ordnance across the entirety of World War II.

Other secrets

Of course, the chaos of the 20-year Vietnam War proved a great enough distraction to keep the war in Laos as secret as it was. But alongside the conflicts it tried to keep quiet, the U.S. government was also concealing a number of never-before-seen photos from the Vietnam War that have only just now come to light.

A job well done

The thrill of survival was a rare feeling for U.S. troops that crossed into the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone. Here, a group of American soldiers are seen celebrating following their safe return from the Long Tom spiking raid near Con Tien in 1968.

Pups on patrol

Plenty of wars have seen dogs deployed on the battlefield, though not all of these pups were made for fighting. While some dogs were returned home if they proved unfit for duty, others were kept around as pets to help boost soldier morale.

First shots fired

On September 30, 1968, the USS New Jersey fired its first shells into the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone. The New Jersey was the only U.S. battleship to provide gunfire support during the war.

Visiting troops

While Lyndon Johnson began his presidency with widespread approval, public support declined as he ramped up U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Here, LBJ is pictured greeting American troops overseas circa 1966.

From the skies

U.S. troops were woefully unprepared when it came to fighting in the jungles of Vietnam, leading most operations to be conducted by air toward the end of the war. Pictured here are over 800 soldiers parachuting into South Vietnam's Tay Ninh province as part of operation Phi Hoa II.

Lotto of life

Not many people know that the draft lottery for the war effort was a literal lottery. On December 1, 1969, young men from all across the country watched as 366 tiny blue capsules rattled around a plastic tube to ultimately decide their fate.

Soldiers against war

Along with most draft-eligible men, veterans of both the conflict in Vietnam as well as previous wars heavily opposed the fighting. Having witnessed the destruction and brutality of war firsthand, it came as no surprise that these men were among the most vocal in protesting U.S. intervention in Vietnam.

Running for their lives

Soldiers weren't the only casualties of the Vietnam War, as it's believed more than 2,000,000 civilians also perished in the conflict. Many Vietnamese were forced to flee their homes and villages in the chaos, sometimes escaping with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.

Moments of humanity

Though a lot has been made of the brutality of American soldiers during the war, there were also many instances of humanity and compassion. Here, two G.I.s are seen carrying a young Vietnamese girl out of harm's way.

Praying for protection

With death being uncomfortably close at all times, it should come as no surprise that many soldiers turned to religion. Here, a priest performs a Christian faith service before a crowd of kneeling G.I.s.

A little help from my friends

Despite the U.S. being considered the driving force behind the war, a number of its allies also entered into the fray, including Australia. The country contributed approximately 7,672 combat troops and 50,190 military personnel to the war effort, some of which are pictured here.

Flying high

The might of the U.S.'s military arsenal was put on full display during the Vietnam War, especially when it came to aircrafts. Here, a squadron of eight F4 Phantom IIs are pictured flying over open water circa 1965.

An end to war

On January 27, 1973, the warring sides officially signed the Paris Peace Accords, finally putting an end to U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Also called the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Viet Nam, the treaty signing was attended by the governments of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), the Republic of South Vietnam (indigenous South Vietnamese), and the U.S.

Black representation

Despite comprising a small percentage of the U.S.'s civilian population at the time, Black Americans made up 16.3 percent of draftees and 23 percent of combat troops by 1967. Many of these soldiers were poor men already disillusioned by the ongoing racial conflicts back home.

Nixon's telegrams

Richard Nixon was a polarizing president, to say the least, and his policy of "Vietnamization" was no different. Despite receiving a "phenomenal" number of telegrams (pictured here) supporting his plan to better train South Vietnamese soldiers while simultaneously withdrawing U.S. troops from the country, his position ultimately led to the fall of Saigon and the loss of the war.

Music to fill the silence

In the quiet moments when the bombs stopped falling and the gunfire ceased, soldiers turned to things like sports and music to restore even an ounce of normalcy. If we had to guess, this G.I. is probably playing a somber rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son."

Counter protests

While the Vietnam War is often associated with mass countercultural protests, there were also a good number of Americans that supported the war effort. Fearing the spread of communism, these individuals saw the war as just and necessary for the preservation of the American way of life.

Vietnamese mistreatment

Between death and abuses suffered at the hands of foreign soldiers, Vietnamese women found life incredibly difficult in wartime. Still, many of them heroically served in the war effort, with the Vietnam Women's Memorial Foundation estimating that some 11,000 Vietnamese women aided on both sides of the conflict.

A sense of humor

While religion worked for some, others used humor to cope with the grim realities of war. Let's just hope this soldier wasn't making a face at his commanding officer!

Mass protests

The anti-war protests of of the '60s and early '70s could get massive, with tens of thousands of people from all walks of life coming together to call for an end to the bloodshed. Pictured here is one such protest, which took place right at the turn of the decade on January 1, 1970.