Frontier Soldiers of New France - a brief review

 

The late Rene Chartrand’s legacy continues with this volume covering the French army in North America. It’s full title is ‘Frontier Soldiers of New France, volume 1; Regulation, clothing arms and equipment of the colonial troops in New France 1683-1760’. This book was co-authored with fellow Canadian scholar Kevin Gelinas.

Beautifully illustrated with a huge number of contemporary and specially commissioned colour and black and white images, uniform details, and photographs of surviving arms and equipment, this volume provides a comprehensive, probably the most comprehensive to date, examination of a fascinating and colourful period of French colonial history, one so closely linked to our own. 

Every aspect of the officers and men in the colony and their uniforms, be they serving in the Compagnies tranches de La Marine, Metropolitan companies, Artillerymen and even armed constabulary units and Swiss. Indeed, I had been unaware that detached companies of Swiss infantry served in New France and Louisiana during this period. I actually found the chapter on military hairstyles particularly interesting, as it sheds some light on the prevailing customs and mentality found in the colonies, and the thought of some bewigged and powdered French officer plunging through the forests of North America while trying to maintain an appropriate hairdo and appearance is an amusing one.

The second part of the book investigates regulation weapons and equipment of officers, non-commissioned officers, infantrymen and artillerymen, and each aspect is discussed in some detail and accompanied by a significant number of photographs of surviving equipment and numerous sketches and drawings. 

Finally, the appendices cover the Irish Company, the Corps of Cavalry and the troops stationed on the islands of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. The Irish appear to have been recruited from British prisoners of war, while the cavalry were a regular company of 200 men raised specifically to counter British incursions and landings and to generally make a nuisance of themselves wherever they could, which earned them the respect of their enemies and might make for an interesting skirmish game.

This is a well researched and presented book, and the authors have had access to previously unpublished material and resources.  For those interested in colonial warfare in North America this is an invaluable reference. 

ISBN 978-1-804515-46-4. Soft covers, 269 pages.