joined the marines

...French Marines, that is...I started out as a habitant/militiaman at Ft St Jean Baptiste, but have now gone fully Marine. This is the fatigue uniform and gear. On a bayou north of the fort.

 

[Bob Riegl]

:bow: That's a really handsome uniform. It's one of the oustanding (not outlandish) uinforms I have seen---not overstated at all---simple and good looking---easy to keep clean----well done. :hatsoff:

 

[soggy]

:hatsoff: Nice outfit Mike. Is that where the term "sacre bleu" came from? :winking:
Soggy

 

[howdydoit]

i agree with the other 2 posts. looks very nice.

 

[GreyWhiskers]

Lookin good, Mike! Semper Fi! :grin: GW

 

[rsblack]

Nice outfit Mike,very good looking.

 

[laffingman67]

Great outfit! I love the cartridge box. :hatsoff:

 

[hawkeye1755]

Mike,Great stuff.
Did you have also the gray-white Uniform Coat,Le Justaucorps?
A great book about Compagnie Franches de la Marine:
La Marine,The French Colonial Soldier in Canada 1745-1761 ?

:hatsoff:

 

Mike,Great stuff.
Did you have also the gray-white Uniform Coat,Le Justaucorps?
A great book about Compagnie Franches de la Marine:
La Marine,The French Colonial Soldier in Canada 1745-1761 ?

:hatsoff:

I have yet to acquire the justacorps--it is the dress uniform standard, of course. They are difficult to make and expensive to buy--and likely saw little real use down here in the warm south where I reenact, so I can get away without one for a while at least. Early records (I am told by the historic park people here) indicate that partial uniforms were often worn here by the Marine contingent at the fort. Also, new Marines were issued their uniforms piecemeal over a period of time. But the justacorps is on my list for the future...Our Commandant wears one and several of the park staff wear them, but some of the volunteers like me do not.

 

[shmrck1]

Mike,
Nice outfit! Now go get it dirty.
snake-eyes :hatsoff:

 

[BRUN]

Mike,
Nice outfit! Now go get it dirty.
snake-eyes :hatsoff:

Yes very nice,and it would look good with some smoke from the battle feild! :thumbsup:

 

[hawk]

Mike ,what musket are you carring?
good looking uniform! :hatsoff:

 

[Gary]

D**n! The first Yankee! Sorry, I couldn't resist. :hatsoff:

 

[steve stanley]

Hey...great looking Target!(sorry,couldn't resist it)...looks good!
Steve

 

[mastrsgt]

MIke,

Now you have got to come over to Fort Toulouse in Alabama for their next event.

Don R

 

Mike ,what musket are you carring?
good looking uniform! :hatsoff:

It is a Narraghansett Arms ( now defunct) fusil de chasse copy ["Tulle"]. I am told that many of the Marines here were so armed. Some of the reenactors here also carry French trade guns of the so-called type C or D [of Hamilton].

 

D**n! The first Yankee! Sorry, I couldn't resist. :hatsoff:

:winking: Careful, there, I am a pure blood Southerner! :grin: and also reenact as a CSA artillerymam with the 4th Louisiana Cameron's Battery, where I am First Sgt. and proudly wear the Richmond gray trimmed in red. As for getting it dirty, a real Marine (US) friend might disagree--spit shine and creases and shiny clean weapons when in garrison duty!

 

[mikee51848]

I'm wondering why the French marines wouldn't have carried a shorter musket, like the British marines did with their Sea Service musket? Were the French based primarily on land?

 

I'm wondering why the French marines wouldn't have carried a shorter musket, like the British marines did with their Sea Service musket? Were the French based primarily on land?

There were two different types of "Marines"--shipboard true Marines and the land-based Marines (which I am). My understanding is that neither were armed with short carbines. The Tulle Grenadier and Buccaneer type guns were common. Marines on ships may have had more brass-mounted arms as they resist corrosion better than iron. The ship board Marines were dressed differently as well. If I remember my French right, the land based troops were part of an organization called Compagnie de la Marine, whereas the boat troops were part of the navy.

 

P.S., let me correct a statement above--both the shipboard and land based marines were under the French Navy. The land based Compagnie Frances de la Marine were independent companies of (dominantly) infantry who were created after the shipboard marines to man French colonial territories in the New World and were the only land troops in New France until 1755 when the F&I War required additional troops be sent over.