ROYAL ROUSSILLON
Compiled by Ken Davis, 2004
MISSION STATEMENT
Grenadiers de Poulharies is a re-creation of the elite unit of the Second Battalion, Royal Roussillon Regiment. Our mission is to demonstrate the activities of French Grenadiers in North America during the French and Indian War (Seven Year’s War), to educate the public, and preserve the cultural heritage of Eastern North America.
We are a family oriented group and heartily encourage even the youngest to get involved. Although the families of the soldats were not usually in the Americas, we believe that all ages can portray what was worn, played, and worked with during that era. During a weekend our members engage in small battle reenactments and portray the life as if on campaign or in a fort setting. Grenadiers de Poulharies is affiliated with Old Bedford Village (OBV), Bedford, Pennsylvania.
HISTORY OF ROYAL ROUSSILLON
The corner of France located on the Spanish frontier between the sea and the eastern extremity of the Pyrenees is Roussillon. This name came in 1659, when the Treaty of the Pyrenees gave to the French that portion of the Spanish Province of Catalonia lying north of the Pyrenees. Although residents called themselves Catalans, the area was officially known as Roussillon until the French Revolution.
Cardinal Mazarin created the Royal Catalan Regiment under the king’s authority in 1655. In 1667, its name became the Royal Roussillon Regiment. During the next hundred and twenty-five years, it was the French military’s premier infantry unit. (Jean Vial; 2002)
ROYAL ROUSSILLON IN THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR
In March 1755, English threats forced France to send Royal Roussillon’s First Battalion to Canada. After English aggression in the Ohio Valley (Jumonville, Ft. Necessity, Monongahela) provoked hostilities, Royal Roussillon was reinforced by its Second Regiment which arrived in Quebec in May 1756. In June, Royal Roussillon moved to Fort Chambly (near Montreal), a centralized base of operations. Under the direction of General Montcalm, the regiment was engaged at Fort William Henry, Fort George, Carillon(Ticonderoga), Battle of the Snowshoes, Fort Niagara, Montmorency Falls, Plains of Abraham, Ste. Foy, and the surrender of Montreal. (Jean Vial, 2002; Robert Henderson, 2003)
GRENADIER UNITS
18th century European generals considered grenadiers as the infantry’s ‘cream of the crop’. They were chosen for their height and athleticism, distinguished by mustaches and higher pay in comparison with other soldiers/marines. Grenadier units were normally used as skirmishers, to deliver the final blow in an action, or to cover a unit’s withdrawal. Headgear included a black tricorn, bear fur hat, or fatigue hat. Roussillon grenadiers often wore a white feather in their hats. Most distinctive was the grenadier symbol, a flaming grenade. Although 17th century grenadiers carried up to fifteen grenades, usage of the bombs declined in the early 1700’s as the musket and bayonet became primary weapons. The flaming grenade icon remained in use, however, evidence of the grenadiers’ select status. (David Cookman; 2002)
Equipment was issued twice a year. A Royal Roussillon grenadier at Chambly, Joseph Galès, wrote that in November he received a cap, a glaze, a bonnet of wool, two cotton shirts, a pair of mitasses, breeches and pants, two hanks of wire, six needles, an awl, a fire-beater, six musket flints, a drawknife, a comb, a packing extractor, two pairs of shoes, two Siamese knives, a pair of mittens, a waistcoat, two pairs of deer moccasins, a tanned deer-hide, two bearing collars, a drag, a pair of snow shoes, a bear skin, and a prélar for four soldiers. He was paid 108 English pounds annually with a grenadier bonus of 36 pounds. Clothing was deducted from his pay, but he was allowed to supplement his wages by making and repairing shoes. By comparison, in France, a day laborer could earn 360 pounds per year and a blacksmith, 1000 pounds. Galès married Marie-Josephte Denys (who was already four months pregnant) on October 20, 1760, in the Sainte-Famille parish of Boucherville. Galès remained with his family in Montreal after the war. (Susanne Galaise Page; 2000)
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION UNIT WEBSITE: www.royalfrench.net
Annual dues are $30 Which includes insurance for people under arms.
Interested parties should contact either of the following on the
Contact Us
page.
Lance Wilson
429 Murrysville Road
Trafford PA 15085
Bruce Parker
4509 Bulltown Road
Murrysville PA 15668