History Browser

This drummer of the Compagnies franches wears the livery of the king of France, with its distinctive lace - crimson with an embroidered white chain pattern. Drummers were often distinctively dressed to make them easy to spot in the heat of battle. This was because the only practical way of transmitting orders to a large group of men before the perfection of portable radios was by means of distinctive drum beats. Officers had to be able to find a drummer quickly, even in a confused mass of soldiers, hence the special uniform. Reconstruction by Eugène Lelièpvre. (Parks Canada)

This British artilleryman wears the blue coat of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. Gunners in most European armies wore dark-coloured clothing to disguise the dirt and grime that soon disfigured anyone firing artillery using gunpowder propellant. The yellow lace was added to the uniforms in 1750, and this pattern of clothing was worn from 1751 to 1764. Reconstruction by Derek Fitzjames. (Parks Canada)

Construction of the so-called 'French Gate' began at Fort Niagara in 1756. Note the coat of arms - from 1725, the royal coat of arms of France was ordered to be put up over the main gates of towns and forts in New France. The fort itself dates back to the 1720s, and was expanded substantially at the beginning of the Seven Years' War. Several of the original French structures still stand, incorporated within later British and American works. The whole site is now a New York state park.

The 58th Regiment of Foot was one of several British units sent to America in 1757 in preparation for the attack on Louisbourg. Although the siege did not begin until 1758, the regiment saw the capture of the fortress and was present at the capture of Quebec the following year. This soldier is shown in marching order, carrying his pack and haversack. His red coat shows the black regimental facings of the 58th Foot on its cuff and lapels. The uniform is unusual for British infantry of the period because the regimental lace is yellow instead of the normal white, and the coat lining (seen on the turned back coat tails) is buff instead of white. Reconstruction by G. A. Embleton. (Parks Canada)

The 17th Regiment of Foot arrived at Halifax in 1757. It took part in the siege of Louisbourg as part of Brigadier James Wolfe's brigade. The 17th’s grenadiers were surprised by a French sortie on 9 July 1758. Their captain, Lord Dundonald, and part of the company were killed. The regiment was later part of General Amherst’s army, advancing up Lake Champlain in 1759 and down the Richelieu River in 1760. It fought at Île-aux-Noix and was at the surrender of Montreal in September 1760. (Library of the Canadian Department of National Defence)

This contemporary print show the hull of a frigate being covered with planks. To form the skin of the hull, shaped planks are being made and then attached to the ship's ribs. Note the finished plank being hoisted into place by a derrick at centre. (Museo Naval, Madrid)

This regimental colour (or 'drapeau d'ordonnance') was carried by the 2nd battalion of the régiment de Guyenne when it was sent to New France in 1755. Note the white cravat tied around the standard pole. This and the white cross were common to all French army colours of the period. The pattern of isabelle (a brownish-yellow) and vert-gris (green-grey) on the colour was the mark of the régiment de Guyenne. This contemporary print shows the regiment's European-pattern uniform, worn in New France by the 2nd battalion from 1757 to 1760. (Parks Canada)

At the upper left are the British trenches dug during the short 1758 siege of Fort Frontenac. A portion of the foundations of the fort are still to be seen in present-day Kingston, Ontario.

General the Marquis de Montcalm was sent to New France in 1756 as a replacement for the recently captured Baron de Dieskau. His time in the colony was marked by feuds with the local authorities. A brave soldier who won some notable victories, he died shortly after prematurely leading his men into battle on the Plains of Abraham. Copy of an original portrait preserved in France. (Library and Archives Canada, C528)

Most American militiamen enlisted in provincial service during the 1750s had uniforms but not all did. For instance, although the officers of Colonel Frye’s Massachusetts Regiment posted at Fort Cumberland (now Fort Beauséjour, New Brunswick) were seen by British Captain Knox to wear blue uniforms with red facings and gold buttons, ‘the ordinary soldiers had no uniforms nor do they affect any regularity’. This man wears civilian clothing of the period, and is shown reloading his musket with a powder horn. Reconstruction by Derek Fitzjames. (Parks Canada)