Carignan-Salières Regiment

Profile managers: Danielle Liard [send private message], Jonathan Lauzier [send private message], and George Blanchard [send private message]

The Carignan-Salières Regimental Roster of officers and soldiers can be viewed here.

Collaborative associates Vic Watt, Patrick Barnum, and Danielle Liard have provided significant source materials regarding these and other soldiers of the era. Their materials can be found in the April 9, 2015 G2G discussion titled: Carignan Soldiers or Soldat Carignan?

See Quebecois Project page for guidelines on names, both personal and for locations.

Reason for the Deployment to New France

Departure from New France

Deployment

1665/06/17 & 19 --- Two ships arrived Kebek (Quebec) from La Rochelle, France with four Companies of the Carignan Salières Regiment. All the soldiers arrived in good health.

1665/06/30 --- Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy, d-1670, arrived in Quebec with the Carignan Salières Regiment, with 100 French officers arriving in 4 ships which included 1,000 to 1,100 of France's best. These French veterans of wars with the Turks were shipped by Marquis de Troy to put down the Iroquois rebels. Their commander is Henri de Chastelard de Salières. The Jesuits told the soldiers that this was a holy war against the Iroquois. The soldiers, however, are poorly equipped for service in Canada. The regiment built the following forts this year: Fort Sorel on the site of Fort Richelieu; Fort Saint-Louis on the Richelieu River directly east of Ville-Marie (Montréal); Fort Sainte-Thérèse on the Richelieu River; Fort Sainte-Anne at the north end of Lake Champlain; and Fort Saint-Jean on the Richelieu River. A road was built between Ville-Marie (Montréal) and Chambly.

1665/08/18-19 --- Two more vessels arrived with 4 more companies of soldiers including Monsieur de Salières, colonel of the regiment.

1665/09/12 --- Eight more companies of soldiers arrived from France. Monsieur de Courcelles, lieutenant general arrived with this contingent. At the same time, ships came filled with over four hundred settlers, mechanics and girls of marriageable age to provide wives for those who lacked them. The officers of the Carignan Salières Regiment had the first choice of the filles du roi (Kings Daughters). Ships also contained livestock and all manner of supplies. The final ships arrived in September, being one hundred and seventeen days at sea. Twenty men died as soon as they set foot on shore. One hundred fell so ill they were in hospital. In all, more than two thousand people arrived this summer.

How the Iroquois were Defeated

The soldiers had been sent to defend their countrymen who had settled along the banks of the Saint-Lawrence. The French immigrants had chosen its banks for their habitation to exploit the abundant fisheries the native Americans depended upon for their subsistence. Quite naturally, the Iroquois defended their land from the interlopers.

When the newly landed Carignan-Salières Regiment first engaged in battle with the Iroquois in the winter of 1665 they probably thought tracking the Amerindians in the snow would give them a quick and easy victory, but the natives of the land easily eluded the soldiers, having no desire, indeed no need, to engage the French militia. Unlike the Frenchmen, the native-American's habitation changed with the seasons. They preferred to move to inland forests and valleys during winter to escape the frigid winds of the Gulf of Saint-Lawrence.

Not all Iroquois were hostile to the French; having been converted by the missionaries. The following winter 100 of these natives accompanied 600 soldiers of the regiment and 600 resident militiamen on an expedition to Lake Champlain. One again, the hostile “savages” eluded engagement, having abandoned five encampments in the region. Rather than further pursue the tribesmen, General Tracy ordered all the native dwellings and provisions torched.

The regiment did eventually return to France. Those that remained received the use of lands within the seigneuries along the Richelieu river the King granted to the Carignan-Salières Regiment's captains Pierre de Sorel, Antoine Pécaudy de Contrecoeur and François Jarret de Verchères, among others.

1666/01/09 --- (This report contradicts a previous entry in this profile) Viceroy Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy, d-1670, and Monsieur de Courcelle (1665-1672) chose January, during the coldest period, as the time to tell the soldiers to attack the Iroquois. They were not provided with snowshoes, axes or proper equipment. Sieurs de la Fouille, Maximin and Loubia with their men joined the army. They had 500 French soldiers and 200 Canadian home guards. They searched for a month, trying to locate an Iroquois village. Only 100 would survive, having not fought a single battle nor killed a single Iroquois. These few survivors are saved because they stumble upon an English settlement. The Governor's invasion is a total disaster. Others suggest that the Iroquois ambushed the French, killing eleven men and wounding many more. The Iroquois only lost three men and had six wounded. Others suggest only 60 men died from exposure and hunger by March 17. The Jesuits claim a number of Iroquois houses were burned and a number of Iroquois were killed on this campaign. This humiliation, however resulted in the assignment on another 1,300 men to the war effort.

1666/11/ --- The eastern tribes of the Iroquois were defeated, though ironically not by engaging in battle. An epidemic of smallpox ^[1], the first recorded among native north Americans, reduced their number so severely that they became a minority population in the Saint-Lawrence region. Some survivors likely migrated toward the western tribes of the Iroquois confederation, while those that remained signed a treaty allowing conditional occupation on what had been their birthright. Commenting on the plague, Marie de L'Incarnation reported: "There is certainly something extraordinary in this whole business, for if the Iroquois had held their ground, they would have made much trouble...but this rout has reduced them to the most desperate humiliation".

At this point neither New France nor their mother country had need of their services. Provisions had been previously arranged for their return to France at the end of their three year indenture (c1668), however King Louis XIV, seeing a way to avoid the expense and instead increase the population of New France, offered the soldiers of the regiment land and pensions if they chose to remain. About 400 of them decided to remain in the colony. Furthermore, during this period the king instituted a program of sending filles a marier ("girls of marriageable age") to New France. The filles à marier sent by the King would become known as the filles du Roy (1663-1673) ("daughters of the King") to differentiate them from the ladies sent earlier by the company of One Hundred Associates and other agencies who did not receive support from the crown. Marguerite Bourgeois was the person who first dubbed them with this name.

1669 --- Five Frenchmen once of the Carignan regiment were executed by firing squad in Montréal for the murder of an Iroquois for his furs on the Pointe-Claire on Lac St-Louis. The Iroquois argued that four should be spared because only one Iroquois was killed. The French explained that all five were involved and therefore guilty. It should be noted that brandy was involved. Brandy was a lucrative trade item, where a 200 livres investment in a keg of brandy could obtain 15,000 livres in beaver-skins.^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ Smallpox is transmitted by being in close proximity to an infected individual (within 6 feet), so the contagious disease likely arose from the Indians relationships with fur traders.
2. ↑ Histoire du Québec: Des Iroquois magnanimes

• Migrations: Compagnies et soldats du Régiment Carignan-Salière Names, titles, and functions of some of the staff and soldiers along with a recap of relevant marriage information. Now includes images of marriage and burial records for many members of the regiment. (via Wayback Machine)
• Wikipedia: History of the Carignan-Salières Regiment
• Soldiers of Carignan Marrying Filles du Roi. Marriage dates are provided.
• Carignan-Salières Soldiers Who Stayed In New France Names and Descendants
• Carignan-Salières Regiment Lineage Chart Relationships of other French Regiments to Carignan-Salières Regiment
• Guide thématique des sources manuscrites aux Archives nationales du Canada ayant trait au Régiment de Carignan-Salières THE CARIGNAN-SALIÈRES REGIMENT Manuscript Sources at the National Archives of Canada

• A comprehensive history is available at: Wikipedia: History of the Carignan-Salières Regiment
• Extensive genealogical information of the soldiers and regiment is available at Migrations: les Potins du Régiment

• Répertoire des officiers et soldats du régiment de Carignan-Salières et de Tracy, pdf, Marcel Fournier Listing of verified members of the regiment. (partial list only)
• Guide thématique des sources manuscrites aux Archives nationales du Canada ayant trait au Régiment de Carignan-Salières THE CARIGNAN-SALIÈRES REGIMENT Manuscript Sources at the National Archives of Canada
• Benjamin Sulte: Mélanges Historiques Vol 8, Régiment de Carignan, BAnQ, débute page 8
• Francogene: soldats Carignan-Salières, Denis Beauregard, citant Michel Langlois
• Francogene: soldats Carignan-Salières, troupes de Tracy, Denis Beauregard, citant Michel Langlois