Militiaman
Cliquez ici pour la version française
Le Milicien | The Militiaman
French Canadian in war dress during the winter (soldier or militia), 1722 drawing by Claude-Charles Bacqueville de La Potherie.
Les miliciens, or militiamen, were members of a body of civilian soldiers recruited from the inhabitants of a seigneurie. This included any male inhabitant between the ages of 16 and 60 years old. Receiving no pay and resting on honour, the militia's mandate was to defend the seigneurie against foreign and native attacks.
Each militia, containing some 50 to 80 men, was commanded by a militia captain. Its formation was obligatory in each parish for the protection of the colony starting in 1669. Each inhabitant had to have a rifle, powder, a sufficient quantity of ammunition and always had to be ready to react in case of enemy attack or to leave for the countryside.
In 1710, there were about 3,500 militiamen, and by 1750, there were 11,687, divided into 165 companies commanded by 724 officers and 498 sergeants. Only the clergy and seigneurs were exempt from service, although most seigneurs were officers in the regular troops or the militia.
The structure of each militia followed that of regular troops. At the head was a captain, assisted by a lieutenant and an ensign, then a few sergeants and corporals, followed by ordinary soldiers.
Sources and further reading:
Claude Lemay, "Fonctions et métiers délaissés", l'Ancêtre, number 281, volume 34, winter 2008, and number 280, volume 34, winter 2007; electronic edition, Société généalogique de Québec (www.sgq.qc.ca/images/_SGQ/R_LAncetre_plus_libre/ENT-FONCTIONS-METIERS-DELAISSES.pdf).
Government of Canada, “The King's Soldiers: The Establishment of a Canadian Militia”, Canadian Military History Gateway (http://www.cmhg.gc.ca/cmh-pmc/page-59-eng.aspx).