[4][5] In the prelude to the War of 1812, Edwards was appointed captain in the 19th Infantry Regiment, and his unit joined with General William Hull's army marching toward Detroit to defend it from the British.

He was selected to fill a vacancy as the surgeon for the 4th Infantry Regiment and remained in that post until Hull's surrender of Detroit to Isaac Brock on August 16, 1812.

Edwards then traveled to Washington, D.C., where he was promoted to the rank of major and placed in charge of the quartermaster's stores in Pittsburgh, where he served for the rest of the war.

[6] Following the resumption of peace, Edwards was given the opportunity to remain in the army as a captain, but he chose to return to private practice and moved his family to Detroit in October 1815.

They traveled for 18 days before stopping in the settlement of Beardsley's Prairie in Cass County, Michigan, where they built a new home.

In 1852, Edwards served as an elector for Michigan, casting his vote for the Democratic nominees, Franklin Pierce and William R.