Arms and Equipment

From around 1680, the French Marine uniform was a white uniform coat, blue cuffs and facings. Under this, the soldier would have his "small clothes" which consisted of a blue coat and breeches. Since the white coat was easily stained, it was reserved for parade duty or extreme cold weather. The blue clothes were more often than not the soldier's fatigue uniform.

They were armed with flintlock muskets, bayonets and swords. The swords proved to be unwieldy and were replaced with belt axes. Paper cartridges for the muskets were carried in leather and wooden boxes which hung off the belt or shoulder strap. The belt box was an older design which came to be replaced in the 1750s, but this would be a gradual process since many outposts were far from the suppliers.

The troops of the Compagnie Franche served in nearly every battle fought in North America. They proved themselves to be crack infantry, but also skilled irregulars in the woodland warfare that characterized the French and Indian War.

The following is a list of the company's commandants: