John Bradstreet

Portrait by Thomas McIlworth, painted in 1764.

Major General John Bradstreet (December 21, 1714 – September 25, 1774) was a British Army officer during the French and Indian War, King George's War, and Pontiac's Rebellion. He was born in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia to a British Army Lieutenant and an Acadian mother.

Military service

Further information: Great Britain in the Seven Years War

Bradstreet's early military service consisted of garrison duty in Nova Scotia, during which time he took advantage of his Acadian heritage and engaged in trade with the French at Louisbourg. In King George's War he was captured in the French raid on Canso, and he developed plans for the capture of Louisbourg, which fell after a siege in 1745.

In 1755, Bradstreet, a captain, was appointed as Governor William Shirley's adjutant general. In 1756 he led a relief column to Fort Oswego with supplies. Upon his return he was attacked by the French and Indians. He survived but his warnings to Governor Shirley and Lord Loudon of the weak condition of Fort Oswego were lost in their power struggle. The French captured and burned Oswego later the same year. On December 27, 1757 he was appointed Lt. Colonel. In 1758 he participated in the attack on Fort Carillon, where he led the advance guard following the death of General George Howe, and he commanded the British expedition of 3000 that captured Fort Frontenac, which took control of Lake Ontario from the French on August 26, 1758. In 1759, he was made quartermaster general.

After the war he was appointed Colonel in 1764 when he led a force of 1,400 to reinforce Fort Detroit in response to the outbreak of Pontiac's Rebellion. He was promoted to Major General on May 25, 1772.

Bradstreet died in New York City on September 25, 1774. He had married (to the widow of a cousin who shared his name), and had two children.

External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online