led by Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph W. Morrison was ordered to attack the rear of the American force. However, Wilkinson learned of this and ordered an attack upon Morrison’s force, which had taken up a position at Crysler’s Farm where the battle took place on November 11, 1813.
Naming: Impressed Roman capitals with given name and surname for men, while officers’ medals included their abbreviated rank.
Other: A number of unofficial clasps for Stoney Creek, Fort George, and Queenstown Heights are known to exist.
Number: 908.
• 315 Fort Detroit.
• 339 Chateauguay.
• 211 Crysler’s Farm.
• 3 Fort Detroit and Chateauguay.
• 8 Fort Detroit and Crysler’s Farm.
• 3 with all 3 clasps.
• 7 Fort Detroit with other non-Canada–related clasps.
• 1 with Chateauguay and other non-Canada–related clasp bars.
• 21 with other non-Canada-related clasps.
The Naval General Service Medal, 1793–1840
Naval General Service Medal obverse.
Origins: The Naval General Service Medal was instituted in 1847 to recognize officers and men who had served in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines who had been in a diverse array of wars and engagements that took place between 1793 and 1840, notably during the French Revolutionary War and Napoleonic Wars. A total of 231 different clasps were issued with this medal, and the maximum awarded with a single medal was seven. Eleven clasps were issued in relation to War of 1812 actions.
Criteria: Participation in any number of actions. Applications for this medal could only be made by survivors. The medal was always issued with at least one clasp. Those most relevant to Canada were awarded to those who served in boat service engagements that took place on the Great Lakes during the War of 1812 on September 3 and 6 and May 6, 1814.
Insignia: A circular silver medal 36 mm in diameter, depicting on the obverse an effigy of Queen Victoria circumscribed by the legend VICTORIA REGINA with the date 1848 at the base. The reverse depicts Britannia triumphally holding a trident while astride a seahorse. The medal was designed by William Wyon.
Suspender: A swivelling claw suspender with a straight bar to which clasps attach.
Ribbon: White in colour, 31 mm wide, edged with 3 mm of dark blue on each side.
Clasps: There are 231 different clasps for everything from major battles, minor engagements, and boat service actions. Those related to the War of 1812 are:
• 28 APRIL BOAT SERVICE 1813: HMS Dolphin, HMS Dragon, HMS Fantome, HMS Highflyer, HMS Maidstone, HMS Marlborough, HMS Mohawk, HMS Racer, and HMS Statira sailed up the Elk River from Chesapeake Bay with the objective of destroying American ships and the cannon foundry at Frenchtown. After destroying five American ships and Frenchtown on April 29, a landing party proceeded to attack the town of Havre de Grace on May 3. Clasps were given for two separate actions. Fifty-five clasps were issued.
Naval General Service Medal reverse.
Boat Service Bar for the Naval General Service Medal.
• 29 APRIL BOAT SERVICE 1813: HMS Orpheus burned the Whampoa, an American merchant vessel, in Narragansett Bay off Rhode Island. Two clasps were issued.
• PELICAN: HMS Pelican captured the USS Argus off the coast of Ireland on August 14, 1813. The Argus had been raiding British shipping in the Bristol Channel area. One hundred and eleven clasps were issued.
• SHANNON WH. CHESAPEAKE: Capture of the USS Chesapeake by the HMS Shannon off the coast of New England on June 1, 1813. Forty-eight clasps were issued.
• PHOEBE: HMS Phoebe engaged USS Essex and captured it along with the sloop Essex Junior off the coast of Chile on March 28, 1814. Thirty clasps were issued.
• CHERUB: HMS Cherub engaged USS Essex and captured it along with the sloop Essex Junior off the coast of Chile on March 28, 1814. Nine clasps were issued.
• 8 APRIL BOAT SERVICE 1814: HMS Hogue, HMS Edymion, HMS Maidstone, and HMS Boxer destroyed American vessels in the Connecticut River. Twenty-four clasps were issued.
• THE POTOMAC 17 AUGUST 1814: HMS Aetna, HMS Devastation, HMS Euryalus, HMS Leviathan, HMS Meteor, HMS Sea Horse, HMS Erebus, HMS Fairy, HMS Anna Maria, HMS Alceste, and HMS Regulus for the destruction of American vessels 140 kilometres up the Potomac River and the bombardment and capture of Fort Washington and Alexandria, Virginia, from August 17 to September 6, 1814. One hundred and eleven clasps were issued.
• 3 & 6 SEPT. BOAT SERVICE 1814: HMS Nancy aided by the Royal Newfoundland Regiment destroyed the American schooners USS Tigress and USS Scorpion on Lake Huron. One bar was issued to Lieutenant Andrew Bulger, who also earned the Military General Service Medal with clasps for Fort Detroit and Crysler’s Farm.
• 6TH MAY BOAT SERVICE 1814: Aided by the army, a contingent of two hundred men landed via boats and attacked Fort Orivego on the shore of Lake Ontario. One clasp was issued to James Wills.
• 14TH DEC. BOAT SERVICE 1814: Awarded for the Battle of Lake Borgne near New Orleans. This action resulted in the capture of five American gunboats and a sloop. Two hundred and fourteen clasps were issued.
• ENDYMION WH. PRESIDENT: Toward the end of the War of 1812 the USS President had been blockaded in New York but escaped to be chased by the HMS Endymion, and the two ships engaged off Sandy Hook. However, the President managed to escape only to encounter the HMS Pomone and HMS Tenedos, to which the President surrendered after a short engagement on January 15, 1815. Sixty-three clasps were issued.
Naming: Impressed Roman capitals with given name and surname for men, while officers’ medals included their abbreviated ranks.
Other: In total 24,000 medals were issued, 20,933 with a single clasp.
Number: Unknown for those related to Canada.
The Canada General Service Medal, 1866–70
Canada General Service Medal obverse.
Canada General Service Medal reverse.
Origins: This medal
