Regiment of Carignan-Salt boxes

The regiment of Carignan-Salt boxes is sent to the Canada, on the territory of what today is the Quebec, to fight the Iroquois, called " Agniers" at the time of the News-France; Agniers were a allied indigenous tribe of the English in the draft of the furs. This regiment of the royal army had taken part already for more than twenty years in several conflicts in bond with monarchy. It, had amongst other things been covered with glory as a combatant the Turkish S. the name of the regiment is resulting from Thomas-François of Savoy, prince de Carignan, who would have raised it in 1642.

In 1665, Louis XIV agree to bring an assistance to its colony and sends 1300 soldiers of the regiment Carignan-Salt boxes (ordered by the marquis Henri de Chastelard de Salières) to fight Iroquois who kill and plunder the colonists established in News-France. This regiment established in several companies will affontera successively Iroquois and the Dutch of the State of New York. Two warlike forwardings are also carried out in Iroquoisie by the regiment. In 1666, Iroquois are demolished. Peace is completely restored in 1667. A treaty will recognize the sovereignty of king de France on his colony.

Once their mission accomplished, the king offers to the soldiers to be established in Canada and concedes to them grounds along the river St-Laurent. Approximately 400 of them agree to remain. The majority of them are unmarried and in age to marry. They thus will help with the settlement of the colony. Several of them in particular will be linked with the Filles of Roy sent by the King of France, Louis XIV, and equipped by him to be married with French colonists.

Contribution and history

Formation of the regiment

The regiment Carignan-Salt boxes was formed by the fusion of the Salières regiment, which was established during the Guerre Thirty Year old (1618-1648), and of the Carignan regiment, which was established in 1644 in Italy. Fusion took seat in 1658 while the regiment fought in Europe.

In 1660, when the king Louis XIV became king de France, the colonists of News-France were in a difficult situation with the Iroquoiennes forces. They were constantly attacked by small forces. Then, they sent a message to Louis XIV asking of the reinforcements to help them against the Iroquoiens warriors. Louis XIV quickly answered by sending in News-France a small army of one hundred soldiers in 1662. But it was not enough and in December 1664, the regiment Carignan-Salt boxes in France, which had just overcome the Turks in Hungary, received the order “to go to the one ports of Brouage or La Rochelle” to go to News-France with a aim of fighting Iroquois threatening and of taking new territories.

Then, during the summer of the year 1665, the regiment came to Quebec. The regiment which included/understood twenty companies, plus another of four, came from the Antilles with their celebrated general lieutenant, Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy. It counted approximately 1200 soldiers and 80 officers.

Masters

Here the list of the leaders of the regiment in News-France:

General lieutenant: Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy

Governor: Daniel de Rémy de Courcelles

Intendant: Jean Heel

Important officer: Henri Chastelard de Salières

Forwardings against Agniers

The tasks successful by the regiment were numerous. The men of the regiment built thus, on banks of the river Richelieu, the forts Saint-Louis, Holy-Therese and Richelieu immediately after their arrival in News-France in order to reinforce their position against Iroquois, who used this river as sees of attack. With the assistance of these establishments and, later, two other forts, the French could attack Iroquois.

Into autumn 1665, Tracy divided the companies as follows:

8 with Quebec
5 with Montreal
3 with Three-Rivers
1 with the Island of Orleans
2 in Fort Richelieu
2 in Fort Saint-Louis
3 in Fort Holy-Therese

In December 1665, the governor received Onneiouts ambassadors for peace negotiations, but an agreement could not be reached with all the nations and the war continued.

Two forwardings were setting-up for the regiment Carignan-Salt boxes, helped by voluntary inhabitants and some Huron warriors and algonquins, against Agniers in the south. The first was carried out by the governor Courcelle in January and February 1666, but it showed a complete failure, Courcelle not managing to find the Agniers villages in the horrible storms of the winter. Moreover, its soldiers were not even accustomed to the rigors of the winter, them which had hardly been in News-France for five months. Party with five hundred men, Courcelle was to return only with four hundred and forty of them, losing sixty cold men and with some ambushes of Agniers. Ironically, Courcelle directed its soldiers until Albany, worrying about the fact even the English leaders. But the two parties were unaware of that France and England were in war since January 26th.

In July 1666, the chief of Agniers, Bastard Flemish, went to Quebec, but it does not succeed in negotiating peace and it was then captured.

The second forwarding was led in autumn 1666 and was led by the Tracy general itself, justified now with a personal hatred as of Iroquois, who had killed his nephew. But rather than to face the few 1200 men of the regiment, Iroquois left their villages before Tracy joined them. The French Army did not find resistance, except natural obstacles like rivers and mountains. Tracy then decided to plunder and burn five Agniers villages. Before their return, the French celebrated very a mass where the captains proclaimed officially the territory agnier like the ground of king de France.

Eight month later, in March 1667, peace was signed between Iroquois and French.

The departure

Its finished mission, the regiment Carignan-Salt boxes was demobilized, but approximately four hundred soldiers and officers chose to remain definitively in News-France. Tracy left on August 28th, 1667, while the other members of the regiment followed in 1667 and 1668; a total of approximately 250 men of the regiment died in News-France. With the assistance of four hundred colonists, the regiment Carignan-Salt boxes thus contributed to make disappear the threat iroquoise heavy on the colony, with for effect a certain stabilization of the situation in News-France, and a renewed prosperity.

Facts

The religion

The soldiers of the regiment were primarily catholic, but there were Protestants “Hérétiques”. Several of these soldiers and even an officer were converted with Catholicism during their stay into News-France, Protestantism being then interdict in the colony and in particular in the army.

The equipment

The soldiers of the regiments Carignan-Salt boxes carried a uniform which was a mixture of Amerindian and French influences:

Pipe of plaster: one used a pipe to smoke the tobacco which one can easily find in the colony.

Horn of ox: to transport the powder to rifle.

black Powder horn: one carried the blasting powder in a pocket.

Sword: the soldiers needed the sword, because there were many engagements to the body-with-body.

Axe: It was current to exchange its sword against an axe, less cumbersome and more useful for the construction of shelters and even for the body-with-body.

Rifle: used to engage the enemy on more a long distance.

Gun: for the short distances.

Boots out of leather: black and brown boots to ride a horse and to protect the feet

Hat: it acted of a hat with three points very in vogue at the time, called tricorn.

Coat: the coats were brown with gray coatings and had black ribbons which decorated their hats and their right shoulder.

The flag of the regiment was a simple white cross.

Conclusion

One can find the names of some officers of the regiment in much of cities and villages of Quebec. They contributed to the collective memory of the Inhabitants of Quebec of today. One finds the name Chambly in Strong Chambly which was built by Jacques de Chambly (It named it Fort Saint-Louis and the name changed). One can also note that the names of the soldiers who were established in News-France find nowadays among many descendants, in current the Quebec.

The regiment Carignan-Salt boxes played a part vital for News-France. While contributing to the settlement of the colony, it allowed the fast expansion of the territory and its population. The regiment also put an end to the dangerous attacks of Agniers, which supported the expansion of industries and gave a sense of security to the colonists. Important forts were built for the defense of News-France. Militarily, the regiment made considerable improvements, and it perhaps saved News-France of an early invasion of the colonists of the English colonists coming from the 13 American colonies located at the south. In addition, it changed the culture of Agniers because once established peace, Iroquois were framed by Jesuites priests, who succeeded in penetrating in Agnier territory thanks to the regiment.

Anecdotes

During the second forwarding against Agniers, Tracy was saved by Huron whereas it was about to drown in a river.
the chief of Agniers was called Bâtard Fleming because it was with half Dutchman, from his father.
Tracy showed its Bâtard Fleming army right before their departure for his nation, and this last, with tears in its eyes, required sadly that Tracy save his wife and her children.
Courcelle directed its army on territories belonging to the English, whereas the two nations were unaware of that France and England had officially entered in war.
the ambassadors Onneiouts prisoners in Quebec during the war against Iroquois were to manufacture rackets for the French soldiers.

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