Frontier Soldiers of New France Volume 2

Frontier Soldiers of New France Volume 2 explores the evolution of the French colonial troops’ campaign attire and equipment adapted for North America’s demanding climate and terrain, integrating European military methods with practical adjustments for wilderness warfare. It focuses on the material culture of the Compagnies franches de la Marine in New France from 1683 to 1760, examining their specific campaign clothing, arms, and equipment. The study highlights their adaptation to the local environment and interactions with Native American cultures, including the adoption of items such as breechcloths, leggings, toboggans, snowshoes, moccasins, scalping knives and tomahawks.

The survival of New France owed much to a strategic doctrine of raiding warfare developed by Canadian colonial officers in collaboration with allied Native American tribes and the colonial militia. This groundbreaking study provides the first comprehensive survey detailing the clothing, weaponry, and equipment used by the stationed troops from 1683 to 1760 to maintain defensive pressure on New Englanders and engage hostile Native American tribes in warfare. Drawing from pioneering research based on archeology, extant pieces and newly discovered records, it illuminates their remarkable adaptability to North American conditions, encompassing both winter and summer wilderness campaigns.