French Voyageurs equipment

[knight1776]

Hello, I am trying to construct a French woodrunner or Voyageur of the 1760s-1780s and was wondering what shooting equipment they would have carried with them. Cartridge boxes and military kits? Thank you for any advice given.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Link = The Coureurs de Bois

This leads you to Keith Burgess' EXCELLENT blog on that era, but link = For My Friend Grimbo, An English Woodsrunner. The Coureur De Bois.

... you'll be reading for DAYS/WEEKS over there ...

FWIW, I used to portray French milicien (militia) and even accumulated some French Marine items ... but I was the only one near me doing French!

 

[tenngun]

A fellow at Ft Osage Mo some years ago recreated a kit based on everything an old Voyager had when he passed. Some shirts, leggings and trousers, a worn out coat, hat, some pipes and tobacco pouch, fire kit shooting bag, one horn, belt knife and pocket knife, stone. A purse with a few coins , a wooden noggan and a couple of spoons, two blankets. Some canvas and a mosquito net. He had a photo copy of tge origanal french for in story done when he died and a translation

, this was his camp set up on the wall

 

[SnowCrow]

A fellow at Ft Osage Mo some years ago recreated a kit based on everything an old Voyager had when he passed. Some shirts, leggings and trousers, a worn out coat, hat, some pipes and tobacco pouch, fire kit shooting bag, one horn, belt knife and pocket knife, stone. A purse with a few coins , a wooden noggan and a couple of spoons, two blankets. Some canvas and a mosquito net. He had a photo copy of tge origanal french for in story done when he died and a translation View attachment 192593 , this was his camp set up on the wall

Would loved to have seen this !

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Here you go: The Coureurs de Bois

 

[SnowCrow]

Thanks Flint62Smoothie !!!!

 

[BillinOregon]

Lots of wonderful information here!

Northwest Journal

 

[Tommy Bruce]

Anything at Fort Osage would likely be post 1800. Coureur de bois were often described as being “more savage than the savage themselves.”

If you could get your hands on a copy of Equipping the New France Milice, Bougainville’s journal, or Raiders from New France, they are all excellent reads with excellent documentation regarding equipment & arms.

Jeff Pavlik has an excellent web page with good sources as well.

Untitled Page

18th century baking in colonial North America and instructions for how to make beer, maple sugar and other skills of the French and English colonists

colonialbaker.net

 

[Tommy Bruce]