The American Civil war had a multitude of causes, but one notable catalyst was John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry. Brown came to Chatham to enlist men in his plan to attack and sieze a federal arsenal in the northern U.S.A. He did not find what he was looking for in Chatham though. Many Blacks from Chatham-Kent went to fight in the Civil war, despite the U.S still being rampant with slavery. A good portion of the few black officers that fought in the war were from Chatham-Kent.

Throughout its diverse and rich history Chatham-Kent has stood as a place of refuge for those that had no where else to go. The Baldoon settlers, the Moravians, the fugitive slaves-all found Chatham-Kent to be a place of discovery, collaboration, and solace. Chatham-Kent is a place where great minds came together to try and create a utopian world. They cast aside their politics and differences and worked to improve humanity, with very little gain for any of them. It is a place that is still culturally unique today and deserves to be looked upon with pride.