L'artillerie de la Marine du Détroit
The armament of
French Detroit consisted of several iron breech loading swivel guns, 2 iron
three Livre (pound) cannons and a few small mortars. L'artillerie de la Marine
du Détroit today has a small field cannon, plus members have two more field
pieces and several swivel guns.
Since
1698 there had been a school of artillery in Quebec City where each regular
Marine company sent soldiers by rotation. This school was sometimes referred to
as an artillery "company," but a true company of Canonniers-Bombardiers was not
formed until 1750 in Quebec City. It included four officers and fifty
artillerymen. The majority remained in Quebec City, but part of the company was
detached to Montreal and to certain forts in the West and in the Ohio Valley. A
second company was raised in Canada in March 1757.
It is
not known if any Canonniers-Bombardiers were ever stationed a Detroit. However
the modern L'artillerie de la Marine du Detroit has elected to use the
Cannonier-Bombadier uniform.
The
Canonniers-Bombardiers issue dress c. 1756 consisted of red wool breeches and
sleeved vest with pewter buttons, red stockings, a cotton or linen shirt,
buckled shoes, white canvas full gaitors, a white cloth neck stock, a tri-corne
hat with silver lace trim and black cockade, and blue coats with red trim and
pewter buttons. The artillery was issued two outer coats, one similar in design
to the Marines with buttons clear to the hem and one like the new coat style
adopted by the Army with buttons only down to the waist. The standard Marine
musket, bayonet and sword carried in a belt frog, shoulder cartridge box and
powder flask completed the issued arms.
Artillerie Picture Page