French and Indian War: French Army uniforms in Canada

The publication of the German translation of Muskets & Tomahawks is getting closer and here and there you can see eager wargamers digging up new collections so that they can get started as soon as the book is available.

In order to simplify the search for the correct painting, I would like to briefly summarize here how the regular armed forces were uniformed in the French and Indian War. First of all, however, it should be said that many soldiers on campaigns no longer took the regulations very seriously. French regulars, who were not stationed in a fort or city, often wore the same clothes in the field as the Canadian militia, adorned with some uniform parts. For the French crown, North America was only a side war scene anyway, and far fewer soldiers were sent there than the English did. The supply situation was also moderate at best, since the British had sovereignty at sea.

But this is primarily about the regular uniforms. Basically it was white, in reality it was rather light gray. Regiments differed mainly in the colors of the vests, lapels and decorative elements such as buttons and the hem of the hats. In addition, each regiment had an individual flag. Flags are a real topic among most Wargamers at this time and can easily lead to discussions. The fact that each state handled this differently does not make it easier.For the French army, the regiment was more of an administrative unit than a tactical element. A regiment consisted of several battalions and these were the actual combat units. The first battalion carried the king's flag, a white cross on a white background. Incidentally, this looks far cooler than you might imagine now, even if many people might come up with various jokes about French soldiers and white flags.All other battalions - there was usually at least one more - carried the actual, individual regimental flag. This is important insofar as almost all battalions in America were not the 1st battalion, so they did not carry the white flag. But more on that later.

Crusader Miniatures shows a regiment from the Seven Years War in Europe. Either way, the representation of the flags is not correct. No French battalion carried two flags.

The main force
Those regiments that participated in several important battles are listed below in the order of their regiment numbers. A reference to the flag and a short description of the uniform follows.