THE EAULY HISTORY OF MILITIA

mainiiig in France and therefore ranked as ''officiers réformés/' but the expression "reformed' was constmed by eome writers in the sensé of ^^reformed religion/' and tbey expressed their surprise at seeing that the heads of the detachments were invariably Protestant off icers !

From 1673 to 1760 the so-called "marine detachment''' ne^er exceeded three hundred men, in so far as I can judge; eometimes less. Twenty or thirty men would be discharged yearly, and they were giyen land to settle upon as farmers. An equal number was sent from France to fill up the rank and file, probably taken from amongst solaiers of the regular army who had five or six years service already. Some French- Canadians also enlisted in the detahment; but the main number of those who did not wish to become farmers preferred to be coureurs de dois. The sons of the settlers, the hahitants, were called Canadiens, whilst the men direct from France were Français.

There was yery little inducement for a French officer of the army to choose Canada as a field for his activity, since he could not expect to get m^ore than a captaincy notwithetanding the rough time he had to go through in this wild country. Therefore commissions were offered to the Canadians, and they aecepted them readily. In this manner the "-detachment'' was soon officered by the natives, and they proved invaluable in the fréquent wars we had with the Indians and the New England colonies.

The writers of the présent day are inclined to place under the head of "French Off icers" ail those who took part in the wars of 1684-1760, but it would be an easy matter to show that more than half of them were French-Canadians.

It is a mistake, therefore, to think that Maricourt, Hertel, HouYille, Saint-Ours, Sainte-Hélène, Saint-Michel, Niverville*,

THE EAELY HISTOKY OF MILITIA, 1636-1700 131

Laperrière, Le G-ardeur, La Yallière, Moras, Roquetaillade, Langlade, Marin, Lanaudière, Lotbinière, Manthet, Eigaud, Eepentigny, Beaubassin, Saint-Luc, Deschadlon, La Gorgendière, Dubxdsson, d'Autray, Portneuf, Menneval, ISTeuYillette, Langy, Villebon, Montigny, Marigny, Montbrun, Verchères, Labroquerie, Iberville, Vincennes, BeauYais, Montesson, Courtemancbe, Bienville, and other leaders of military expéditions during tbe Frencli legime bad arriYed from France witb. the troops; tbey were ail born in Canada, and tbeir wives and cbUdren were far from being wealtby, but that group form^ed wbat the Englisb language calls the G-entlemen, the educated, the polished people, les gentilshommes, but not necessarily noblesse. Their first appearance in the field dates from 1684, with the exception of three or four who were old enough to enter the career in 1666. The sons of thèse are found afterwards in the same employment untn 1760.

The mode of liying adopted by ail the of f ioers in question was the same in each case. They depended: Ist, upon their pay when on active service; 2nd, some civil appointments in time of peace ; 3rd, the revenue from a, f arm, which they owned as ordinary settlers; 4:th, fur trading, by permission of the authorities. Most of them were the grantees of seignorial lands solely adorned with the primeval forest, and for want of funds to open up thèse concessions, they depended on the good v.xH of the common settlers. The widows of thèse officers used to receive a pension in the shape of so many congés or privilèges to trade fur; the congés were sold to merchants who had the means to equip canoës, which they sent at their own risk to the Great Lakes in order to obtain by an exchange of European goods the beaver and other skins suiiable for the French market.

132 THE EAELY HISTOEY OF MILITIA, 1636-1700

At the time of the conquest none of thèse familles had much improYed their situation. In fact, tLe wars had been so continu-ed that they could hardly do anything else during three générations.

Lower Canada in thos-e days rpresented also another aspect in a military point of view; it was the inilitia organized by the Count de Frontenac about 1673. Every man able to bear arms was enrolled, and a captain chosen aniongst the habitants was at the head of each parish. The drill consisted mostly in shooting, because the snccess of a campaign in the wild forest of North America depended principally on the mnsketry. The men needed no training in regard to roaming in the bush, paddling canoës, camping or snowshoeing — this was a practice already acquired by the whole community. No wonder that they displayed a marked skill in ail their expéditions if we compare this state of things with the lack of similar exercises on the part of the New Engiand poDulation.

The le"vy in case of war did not order ont the total number of militia men of any parish (except from 1754 to 1760) but only those willing to join. The captains accompanied their men. Detachments were formed from them uncler the direction of the commanding officer, taken as a nile from the regular garrisons. Each district operated seperately ; for instance, the men of Montréal with their blue capotes or great coats and their blue tuques or knitted worsted caps were known everywhere as Montrealers D'Ailleboust, or by the name of any other commander for the time being. Three Riyers wore the white capote and the white cap. Québec indulged in red attire of the same idescription. Such was the kind of uniform the men provided for themselves at their own expense.

The captain, at home, fulfilled the position of bailiff,