An Excessively Rare
Military General Service Medal.
To:
TEIR KARIWAKERON, WARRIOR.
A Native North American “Shawnee” Warrior who fought alongside The British Army during
-The American War of 1812-

at
[FORT DETROIT]
– The siege of Detroit, also known as the surrender of Detroit or the Battle of Fort Detroit 15th-16thAugust 1812-
ABOUT 650 NATIVE FIGHTERS TOOK PART, BUT ONLY 15 OF THEM MADE A CLAIM.

[CHRYSTLER’S FARM]
– Battle of Crystler’s Farm 11th November 1813-
“ONLY 30 INDIAN WARRIORS TOOK PART, & ONLY 10 CLAIMED A MEDAL”

This exceptionally desirable medal is “One of Only FIVE” such surviving medals bearing BOTH these two fabulously rare and greatly sought after clasps.
This minuscule “First Nation” Native American issue, which is thought to number only about 80 medals, was retrospectively awarded by Queen Victoria in 1848 to the then tiny number of surviving Native North American claimants comprising Tribal Chiefs & their mainly Shawnee Indian Warriors & Guides who had fought for the British Crown during the reign of George III during the War of 1812 against the American Army on the U.S. - Canadian Border. These claims and the issue of the medals was organised and overseen by the British Indian Department.

The Five Extant “Multi Clasp” Medals are:
CHIEF JACOB PHEASANT, WARRIOR GUIDE (Morin)

TEIR SASENOWANE. WARRIOR.
(Spink 1915)
( *Three clasps including Chateauguay.

JOHN SUNDAY, CHIEF. (Spink 1955)

TARKARONIARAKWEN, CHIEF.
(Glenndinings October 1970)





and This Medal
TEIR KARIWAKERON, WARRIOR.
(Eugene Ursual, 1995)

Of the approximately 80 “survivor claims” made for the “American War of 1812” MGSM by these then aged warriors in c, 1846-8, there are only thought to be about 45 - 50 extant medals. With the vast majority of those being single “Chateauguay” clasp medals of which 34 were known to have been offered up to 1970.

Indeed, these very low claim numbers only further serve to underline and emphasise that the vast majority of these battle participants were either dead or naturally deceased by the final claim date of 1847 -1848…as indeed were the vast vast majority of all the men who fought in all the battles and campaigns during the period of 1793-1814. In the last 47 years we’ve seen just three “single clasp medals”, which were all for the one action at Fort Detroit where 650 native fighters took part, but only 15 of them made a claim.

In the 1970’s a list of this small number of rare surviving medals was researched and recorded. The details were gleaned from records of medals being seen at auction and those offered on very early sales lists dating right back to 1899. As this medal was only discovered in November 1995 it became only the 5th known two clasp medal, and the only one to a Warrior, the other four being to Chiefs.

[THE AMERICAN WAR OF 1812]
The war of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States declared war on Britain on 18 June 1812. Although peace terms were agreed upon in the December 1814 Treaty of Ghent, the war did not officially end until the peace treaty was ratified by the United States Congress on 17 February 1815.

[NAMING]
As you can see by this tabulation, (*click the photo to enlarge) the native Indian names supplied to the war office were exceedingly long and very difficult to read, never mind to pronounce, which led the vast vast majority of these “Red Indian” Warrior medals being either officially corrected and / or completely re-impressed, and some were produced by the re-impressment of previously wrongly named medals.
And this medal is no exception, and as such it’s absolutely correct and totally par for the course for this fabulously rare issue.
A situation which in this case has zero effect on value.

“The British Government was saving money on native medals as usual !”

As such, each of these rare, individually unique and fabulous medals, awarded for service in the American War of 1812 are some of the most coveted and sought after awards in the entire MGS and British military medal series.

[PEDIGREE]
Eugene Ursual (*Canadian Dealer) Ottawa, Ontario.
(*Apparently the original locator of this medal.) November 1995, Who noted: “This extremely rare combination of Bars was only awarded 5 times & once to a Warrior” (this medal).

Spink & Co ( London )
Auction: Military General Service 1793-1814, 2 clasps, Fort Detroit, Chrystler’s Farm (Tier Kariwakekon, Warrior.), officially re-impressed naming as common with Medals to Warriors, contact marks, very fine.

If you are a serious collector of British medals and particularly of this early MGS series, this is a “must have” item as you’ll almost certainly never see another example for sale.

PRICE ON REQUEST
(By Telephone Only)
01342-870960
Direct Dial from the USA …..01144-342-870960.
With QUALITY Part Exchanges Welcome……Thank You.