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This contemporary watercolour shows a encampment of Loyalist veterans and their families at Johnstown (present-day Cornwall, Ontario) in 1784. Some of these men of the King's Royal Regiment of New York still wear their red coats. (Library and Archives Canada, C-002001).

Sir Frederick Haldimand (1718-1791) served as Governor General between 1778 and 1784. He had to safeguard Canada while keeping the pressure on the Americans' northern frontiers just as his British garrison was being reduced. He therefore used German mercenary troops as garrisons while promoting raids deep into American territory by parties of Loyalists and Mohawk Indians. This portrait shows him in the uniform of a field officer of the 60th (Royal American) Regiment of Foot in the early 1770’s. (Library of the Canadian Department of National Defence)

The tradition of raising the May pole in front of the Militia captain's house, which began in the era of New France, went on in French Canada until the middle of the 19th century.

Testard de Montigny was an officer in the Compagnies franches de la Marine. He distinguished himself in raids against New England in 1746-47, and then in Ohio and in the Great Lakes region during the Seven Years' War. He was made a Chevalier de Saint Louis in 1757.

The third fort on this site, construction began on Fort Chambly in 1709. It was made of stone and looked rather like a castle. This made it different from the low-lying, bastioned fortresses of Europe. The fort was built to be impressive and all but impregnable to Indian enemies and raiding American colonials. The fort wall facing the Richelieu River was pierced for artillery. During the War of 1812, Fort Chambly was the HQ for British and Canadian troops guarding the area south of Montreal against an advance by American armies. The complex fell into ruins during the 19th century. Its walls were stabilized in 1885 when it was made a Canadian government historic park. Recognized as a unique surviving example of military architecture, Fort Chambly was given a major restoration in the 1980s by Parks Canada. This returned the fort to its appearance of the mid-18th century.

The ‘cat of nine tails’ was a whip used to flog soldiers. This one was used in the British 83rd Regiment of Foot. The length of the wooden stick was 43cm (1' 5"), its tails 53cm (1' 9"), and it weighed 141,75 g. (5 ounces). (Library of the Canadian Department of National Defence)

This Iroquois leader wears the mixture of native and European items that was used by eastern woodland cultures during the 18th century. Note, for instance, the European linen shirt, worn as an overall smock. Around this man's neck hangs a gorget - a gilded crescent worn by European officers when on duty. Gorgets were considered one of the more desirable gifts an Amerindian chief could receive. Among the particularly North American items seen here are the leggings (known as 'mitasses'), the scalp hair lock decorated by feathers with other hair removed from the head, the face paint and the moccasins. The result is colourful and impressive. Reconstruction by G. A. Embleton. (Parks Canada)

This man wears the full dress uniform of an officer in a Highland regiment of the British army, as established in 1768. The 42nd Foot were stationed in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia during the final years of the American Revolution. Highlanders often wore more prosaic uniforms when on campaign in North America. Trousers would replace the kilt, if supplies of tartan cloth were unavailable. This uniform, altered in small details such as the pattern of buttons, was also worn by officers of the Royal Highland Emigrants. The two battalions of the Emigrants, raised in Quebec and Nova Scotia in 1775, wore the kilt and red coat from 1776 onward. Reconstruction by Gerald A. Embleton. (Parks Canada)

The King's Royal Regiment of New York was raised at Chambly, Quebec in 1776 from Loyalist refugees from New York. Originally wearing green coats, the KRRNY switched to red in 1780. Note the blue facings appropriate to a 'royal' regiment. These items belonged to Jeremiah French, who joined the unit as a lieutenant in November 1781. The coat and waistcoat are in the collection of the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

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