Carignan-Salières Regiment
Encyclopedia
The Carignan-Salières Regiment was a Piedmont
French
military
unit formed by merging the Carignan Regiment and the Salières Regiment in 1659. The regiment began their existence in combat against the Ottoman Empire
before being reorganized to consist of twenty-four companies
before being sent to Canada
in 1665. They were led by the new Governor, Daniel de Rémy de Courcelle
, and Lieutenant General Alexander de Prouville, Sieur de Tracy
. Approximately 1,200 men (Piedmont, Savoyard and Ligurian) arrived in the middle of 1665. They were welcomed as saviors, particularly by Marie de l'Incarnation (Guyart), head of a local convent, who wrote of their arrival:
Their service in New France
began when a third of them were ordered to build new forts along the Richelieu River
, the principal route of the Iroquois
marauders. Fort Chambly
formerly known as Fort St. Louis at Chambly
, Fort Sainte Thérèse
, and Fort Saint-Jean
at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, are on the way. Fort Sainte Anne (Vermont)
in Lake Champlain
is near its source.
The leader of the men, the Marquis de Salières, recognized that little could be accomplished without more carpenters, skilled craftsman, or basic necessities such as shoes and cooking equipment. After building 3 forts and preparing to stay over in them throughout the winter, orders came from Governor de Courcelle that the men must make an offensive against the Iroquois. De Salières thought this was quite impossible, stating in his memoirs that:
During the expedition, not one Iroquois was found, and many of the men died due to the harsh conditions. This bitter setback was countered by the events which followed in the autumn of 1666. The regiment was ordered to continue into the territory of the Iroquois, and they found their fortifications abandoned. It turned out that the Iroquois had suffered greatly under a smallpox
epidemic
, and wished to engage in peace talks with the French. A treaty was signed that succeeded in keeping peace for twenty years.
Despite the lack of an Iroquois threat, King Louis XIV decided that it was better to offer the men of the regiment an opportunity to stay in New France
to help increase the population. This offer was particularly beneficial to such men as Pierre de Saurel
, Alexandre Berthier
, Antoine Pécaudy de Contrecœur
, and François Jarret de Verchères, who were granted large seigneuries in New France
. Most of the leaders of the regiment still have their names as towns or cities in Canada today.
Although the majority of the regiment
returned to France in 1668, about 450 remained behind to settle in Canada. These men were highly encouraged to marry, and most of them did, to newly arriving women for the colony, known as Filles du Roi
. After various renamings, the regiment was split in 1794.
in 1665.
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
unit formed by merging the Carignan Regiment and the Salières Regiment in 1659. The regiment began their existence in combat against the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
before being reorganized to consist of twenty-four companies
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
before being sent to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1665. They were led by the new Governor, Daniel de Rémy de Courcelle
Daniel de Rémy de Courcelle
Daniel de Rémy de Courcelle, Sieur de Montigny, de La Fresnaye et de Courcelle was the governor general of New France from 1665 to 1672....
, and Lieutenant General Alexander de Prouville, Sieur de Tracy
Alexandre de Prouville
Marquis Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy was a French aristocrat, statesman, and military leader. He was the seigneur of Tracy-le-Val and Tracy-le-Mont...
. Approximately 1,200 men (Piedmont, Savoyard and Ligurian) arrived in the middle of 1665. They were welcomed as saviors, particularly by Marie de l'Incarnation (Guyart), head of a local convent, who wrote of their arrival:
Their service in New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
began when a third of them were ordered to build new forts along the Richelieu River
Richelieu River
The Richelieu River is a river in Quebec, Canada. It flows from the north end of Lake Champlain about north, ending at the confluence with the St. Lawrence River at Sorel-Tracy, Quebec downstream and northeast of Montreal...
, the principal route of the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
marauders. Fort Chambly
Fort Chambly
Fort Chambly is a historic fort in the Canadian La Vallée-du-Richelieu Regional County Municipality, Quebec. The fort is designated as a National Historic Site. Fort Richelieu was part of a series of five forts built along the Richelieu River. Fort Richelieu is at the mouth of the Richelieu River....
formerly known as Fort St. Louis at Chambly
Chambly, Quebec
Chambly is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada, about to the south east of Montreal.- Geography :It sits on the Richelieu River in the Regional County Municipality of La-Vallée-du-Richelieu, at .-History:...
, Fort Sainte Thérèse
Fort Sainte Thérèse
Fort Sainte Thérèse is the name given to three different forts built successively on one site, among a series of fortifications constructed during the 17th century by France along the Richelieu River, in the province of Quebec, in Montérégie....
, and Fort Saint-Jean
Fort Saint-Jean (Quebec)
Fort Saint-Jean is a fort in the Canadian La Vallée-du-Richelieu Regional County Municipality, Quebec located on the Richelieu River. The fort was first built in 1666 by soldiers of the Carignan-Salières Regiment and was part of a series of forts built along the Richelieu River...
at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, are on the way. Fort Sainte Anne (Vermont)
Fort Sainte Anne (Vermont)
In 1666, the French built a fort to protect Canada from the Iroquois. The fort was dedicated to Saint Anne. Fort Sainte Anne was the most vulnerable to attacks by the Iroquois, because it was the last of five forts stretching along the Richelieu River going south...
in Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
is near its source.
The leader of the men, the Marquis de Salières, recognized that little could be accomplished without more carpenters, skilled craftsman, or basic necessities such as shoes and cooking equipment. After building 3 forts and preparing to stay over in them throughout the winter, orders came from Governor de Courcelle that the men must make an offensive against the Iroquois. De Salières thought this was quite impossible, stating in his memoirs that:
During the expedition, not one Iroquois was found, and many of the men died due to the harsh conditions. This bitter setback was countered by the events which followed in the autumn of 1666. The regiment was ordered to continue into the territory of the Iroquois, and they found their fortifications abandoned. It turned out that the Iroquois had suffered greatly under a smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
, and wished to engage in peace talks with the French. A treaty was signed that succeeded in keeping peace for twenty years.
Despite the lack of an Iroquois threat, King Louis XIV decided that it was better to offer the men of the regiment an opportunity to stay in New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
to help increase the population. This offer was particularly beneficial to such men as Pierre de Saurel
Pierre de Saurel
Pierre de Saurel was a captain in the Carignan-Salières Regiment and a seigneur who was born in Grenoble and came to New France in 1665....
, Alexandre Berthier
Alexandre Berthier
Alexandre Berthier was a captain in the French army who was born Isaac Berthier and a Huguenot; became known as Alexandre after his arrival in New France in 1665. The name change appears to be because of his conversion to the Roman Catholic religion...
, Antoine Pécaudy de Contrecœur
Antoine Pécaudy de Contrecœur
Antoine Pécaudy de Contrecœur was an officer in the Carignan-Salières Regiment and the first seigneur of Contrecœur. His son, François-Antoine Pécaudy de Contrecœur, inherited the seigneury from his father....
, and François Jarret de Verchères, who were granted large seigneuries in New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
. Most of the leaders of the regiment still have their names as towns or cities in Canada today.
Although the majority of the regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
returned to France in 1668, about 450 remained behind to settle in Canada. These men were highly encouraged to marry, and most of them did, to newly arriving women for the colony, known as Filles du Roi
King's Daughters
The King's Daughters were between 700 and 900 Frenchwomen who immigrated to New France between 1663 and 1673 under the monetary sponsorship of Louis XIV. The government sponsored them so settlers in the colony could marry and start families to populate New France...
. After various renamings, the regiment was split in 1794.
See also
- Vincent Basset Du TartreVincent Basset Du TartreVincent Basset Du Tartre, , was the surgeon major of the French Carignan-Salières Regiment which arrived in New France in the summer of 1665 with about 1200 men in twenty-four companies....
, surgeon major of the regiment - Fort Saint-Jean (Quebec)Fort Saint-Jean (Quebec)Fort Saint-Jean is a fort in the Canadian La Vallée-du-Richelieu Regional County Municipality, Quebec located on the Richelieu River. The fort was first built in 1666 by soldiers of the Carignan-Salières Regiment and was part of a series of forts built along the Richelieu River...
List of Ships Carrying the Regiments, 1665
This is a list of ships that carried the Carignan-Salières Regiment from France to New FranceNew France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
in 1665.
| Ship | Date of arrival in Québec Quebec Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level.... , New France New France New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763... |
Regiments carried | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le Vieux Siméon | 19 June 1665 | Chambly, Froment, La Tour, Petit | |
| Le Brézé | 30 June 1665 | La Durantaye (Chambellé), Berthier (L'Allier), La Brisardière (Orléans), Monteil (Poitou) | |
| L'Aigle d'Or | 18 August 1665 | Grandfontaine, La Fredière, La Motte, Salières |
|
| La Paix | 19 August 1665 | La Colonelle, Contrecoeur, Maximy, Sorel | |
| Le Jardin de Hollande | 12 September 1665 | Supply for Regiments | |
| Le Saint-Sébastien | 12 September 1665 | Rougemont, Boisbriand (Dugué), Des Portes (Duprat), Varenne | |
| La Justice | 14 September 1665 | La Fouille, Laubia, Saint-Ours, Naurois | |