The Corps of Canadian Voyageurs was raised in September 1812, by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, as a military water transportation corps. Its mission was to maintain the supply lines, between

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and the western posts. The corps was disbanded in March 1813, and its mission was taken over by the Canadian branch of the British Commissariat Department, a department of

HM Treasury His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury), occasionally referred to as the Exchequer, or more informally the Treasury, is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for developing and executing the government's public finance policy and ec ...

, as the Provincial Commissariat Voyageurs. This corps was disbanded in March, 1815.

Organization

The Corps of Voyageurs was organized on the initiative of the

North West Company The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what is present-day Western Canada and Northwestern Ontario. With great weal ...

, and its ''bourgeois'' and ''engagés'' became the officers and men of the corps.Andrew Hind, ''The Canadian Corps of Voyageurs''
Retrieved August 8, 2011 The Provincial Commissariat Voyageurs had one lieutenant-colonel, one major, one captain, ten lieutenants, ten conductors (sergeants acting as guides), and about 400 private men.Robert Malcomson, "Batteauх in the British Service during the War of 1812", ''Northern Mariner'' 13(2003)4:17-28
Retrieved June 19, 2013. The army wanted to put the corps into uniform, but that was impractical due to its duties. Instead of a uniform the men of the corps wore the dress of the ordinary civilian voyageurs.

Weapons

The Army-issued swords, pikes and pistols were impractical, and they were thrown away or sold and the men used their own frontier weapons: they were issued with brown bess muskets, axes and knives.

Discipline

The Corps was known for its lack of discipline, at least in comparison with the iron discipline required by the British Army. However, it fulfilled an absolutely essential function, in the "wilderness war".

Officers of the Corps of Canadian Voyageurs

William McGillivray Lt.-Colonel The Hon. William McGillivray (1764 – 16 October 1825), of Chateau St. Antoine, Montreal, was a Scottish-born fur trader who succeeded his uncle as the last chief partner of the North West Company. He was elected a member of the Leg ...

, Lieutenant-colonel, commanding officer. *

Angus Shaw Angus Shaw (unknown – July 19, 1832) was a fur trader and political figure in Lower Canada. Life He was probably born in Scotland and came to North America some time before 1786, when he is found at Montreal. With the help of the Indian ag ...

, Major *

Archibald Norman McLeod Major The Hon. Archibald Norman McLeod (17 March 1772 – after 1837) J.P., was a partner of the North West Company and a political figure in Lower Canada. In 1805, he built Fort Dunvegan. He was a member of the Beaver Club and represented Mont ...

, Major *

William McKay Lt.-Colonel William McKay (1772 – 18 August 1832) is remembered for leading the Canadian Forces to victory at the Siege of Prairie du Chien during the War of 1812. After the war, he was appointed Superintendent of Indian Affairs at Drummo ...

, Captain * Pierre de Rastel de Rocheblave, Captain Source:

Honour of Perpetuation within the Canadian Army

The Canadian Grenadier Guards ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

perpetuates the honours of both corps.

Modern Historical Re-enactment Unit

The Modern Historical re-enactment group of the Canadian Corps of Voyageurs was organized in 1975 by John Robertson, then armourer at Old Fort William (now

Fort William Historical Park Fort William Historical Park (formerly known as Old Fort William) is a Canadian historical site located in Thunder Bay, Ontario, that contains a reconstruction of the Fort William fur trade post as it existed in 1816. It officially opened on ...

). After forty years as a reenactment group, it is still a strong volunteer group (over 45 members) with Fort William Historic park, Thunder Bay, Ontario, it is a family orientated historical re-enactment group that portrays early 1800s military, voyageur militia and family life. The Corps provides Guards of Honour in many local charity events, providing heritage colour and firing salutes for visiting VIP's. The Corp provide safety training to new and old members to be confident in the proper use, care and maintenance of firearms and equipment. Members are encouraged to take an active role and participate in the group activities and camp life. Not only is the corps a historical re-enactment group, we are also a social group keenly interested in the past and informing the public about Canadian history.{{Cite web, title=Canadian Corp - Fort William Historical Park, url=https://fwhp.ca/canadian-corp, access-date=2021-12-02, website=fwhp.ca

References

British administrative corps Army transport units and formations Canadian military units and formations of the War of 1812 Fur trade North West Company