Medal for the capture of Detroit on display at museum

It was 200 years ago this week (August 16, 2021) that British regulars, First Nations Warriors, and Canadian Militia led by Major General Isaac Brock and Tecumseh crossed the Detroit River and, following a naval bombardment, attacked Fort Detroit. Thinking (incorrectly) that he was outnumbered and that his troops would be massacred, American Brigadier General Hull surrendered the garrison without a fight.

Many of Chatham-Kent’s early settlers were involved in the Capture of Fort Detroit as members of the Canadian Militia. Although this area was sparsely populated, four companies of men were raised from Kent County including many of our well known pioneers such as Capt. Thomas McCrae (who used prize money he received from the capture of Fort Detroit to complete the area’s first brick house), Isaac Dolsen, and Christopher Arnold. Another early pioneer that fought at Fort Detroit was John Bedford, the son of United Empire Loyalist Robert Bedford who came to Canada after the Revolutionary War. By 1800, Robert and son John had settled on 200 acres in Chatham Township. In July of 1812, the call came for the men of the 1st Kent Militia to report to Amherstburg to defend against the threat of American invasion. On August 16, John Bedford, along with other members of the militia, British soldiers, and First Nations warriors, captured Fort Detroit.

Thirty four years later, the British Government authorised the Military General Service Medal to be awarded to members of British forces who participated in certain battles against Napoleon in Europe and for three battles in the War of 1812. Despite not including such well known battles as Queenston Heights and Lundy’s Lane, Fort Detroit was one of the three battles that qualified. To receive the medal, soldiers not only had to survive the battle but they had to live until 1848 and make a formal application for the award. Bedford did all three and he finally received his medal in 1851! In total, twenty men from Chatham-Kent received this medal although the whereabouts of only one other than the one included in the Chatham-Kent Museum’s current exhibit is presently known.

Interestingly, John Bedford’s direct descendant, great grandson Harry Garnet Bedford Miner, served his country 100 years later in World War I and was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously. John Bedford’s Military General Service Medal is on exhibit in the Chatham-Kent Museum’s new bicentennial exhibit “On Our Doorstep: The War of 1812 In Chatham-Kent.”

The Chatham-Kent Museum is located at 75 William Street North in Chatham and is open 7 days a week from 1pm to 5pm.