Military of New France

The military of New France consisted of a mix of regular forces from the French Royal Army (Carignan-Salières Regiment) and French Navy (Troupes de la marine, later Compagnies Franches de la Marine) supported by small local volunteer militia units (Colonial militia).

The strategy consisted mostly of stealth and surprise attacks whose purpose lay in creating ambushes and raids, followed by immediate withdrawals from the battlefield.

[7] This style of warfare was not only well suited to the North American wilderness but it also allowed the French troops to be at a vast numerical disadvantage (outnumbered sometimes 20 to 1) and still effectively retaliate against their enemies, primarily the British.

It was the job of the military to maintain good relations with frontier Indigenous North Americans in order to preserve French interests in the colony.

New France relied heavily on the fur trade given that it was the only valuable commodity in the entire colony, which cost more to operate than it brought in, in profit.

[11] However, much of the military hierarchy was not based on merit but rather on internal family connections, which allowed unqualified young ambitious and greedy men to take positions of high rank.

The Natives had an understanding of how the trading system worked and considered the military as "trading-goods chiefs"[12] and because of their dereliction of duty came to recognize many soldiers as dishonest people who went against their code.