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.

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