The Canadian Voltigeurs were a

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

unit, raised in

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

(the present-day Province of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

) in 1812, that fought in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

between Britain and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

History

Formation

As war with the United States threatened, on 15 April 1812 Sir George Prevost, the

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...

, authorised the enlistment of a ''Provincial Corps of Light Infantry'' under

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Charles de Salaberry, to serve during war or the "apprehension of war". The unit was officially part of the militia, and its enlisted personnel were subject to the Militia laws and ordinances, but for all practical purposes, it was administered on the same basis as the ''

Fencible The Fencibles (from the word ''defencible'') were British regiments raised in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and in the colonies for defence against the threat of invasion during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence, the Frenc ...

'' units, also raised in Canada as regular soldiers but liable for service in North America only. De Salaberry selected members of the leading families of

as officers, but their commissions were not confirmed until they had recruited their quota of volunteers (for example, 36 men for Captains, 14 for Lieutenants). Several other officers transferred from units of 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 ...

stationed in Canada, in the hope that they would gain rank or seniority by the transfer. Most of these officers remained with the Voltigeurs even when these ambitions were not fulfilled. The ".. men to be enrolled in this corps to be between the age of 17 and 35 years and not below 5 feet 3 inches." Recruiting was brisk; in addition to a bounty of £4, the recruits were promised a grant of of land on discharge. Almost all the soldiers and most of the officers were French-speaking, which led to the unit being widely known as the Voltigeurs, a French word meaning "vaulter" or "leaper", and given to certain elite light infantry units in the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

. However, all formal orders on the parade ground or in battle were given in English. The Voltigeurs wore grey uniforms, with black facings and accoutrements. The coats were fitted with the padded "wings" worn by

grenadier A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word '' grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited fr ...

and light infantry units of the British Army. The headgear was a small black bearskin cap. Officers wore a

hussar A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...

-type uniform, in bottle-green (or " rifle green", as it was becoming known). The weapon carried was the light infantry pattern of the British India Pattern Musket, though there may have been some rifles. The new unit mustered at Chambly. It had eight companies of light infantry. Two further companies were recruited from

Sedentary militia Sedentary lifestyle is a lifestyle type, in which one is physically inactive and does little or no physical movement and or exercise. A person living a sedentary lifestyle is often sitting or lying down while engaged in an activity like socia ...

of the Eastern Townships of the Montreal district, and officially listed as the ninth and tenth companies, but they formed a separate corps, the Frontier Light Infantry, throughout the War of 1812. When the unit was formed, "... An additional Company formed of Indians will be allowed to be attached to this corps, consisting of six Chiefs and sixty Warriors. This Company will be armed, clothed (after their own manner) & victualled at the expence of Government; they will receive presents as a reward instead of Pay."Pouliot-Thisdale (2003), p.24

Service in the War of 1812

Some of the Voltigeurs were in action at the Battle of Lacolle Mills (1812), in which a half-hearted invasion of Canada by the American General Henry Dearborn was turned back. Early in 1813 three companies were detached under the unit's second-in-command, Major Frederick Heriot, and moved up the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connectin ...

to form part of the garrison of

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, the main British base on

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...

. On 29 May, two of these companies took part in the Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor. Later in the year, the detachment moved to

Fort Wellington Fort Wellington National Historic Site is a historic Fortification, military fortification located on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River, St. Lawrence River at Prescott, Ontario. The military fortification was used by the British Army, a ...

at Prescott, and subsequently played an important part in the Battle of Crysler's Farm. The main body of the unit formed part of a light corps stationed to the south of Montreal, which was commanded by de Salaberry in person. Learning that an American division under Major General

Wade Hampton Wade Hampton may refer to the following people: People *Wade Hampton I (1752–1835), American soldier in Revolutionary War and War of 1812 and U.S. congressman *Wade Hampton II (1791–1858), American plantation owner and soldier in War of 1812 *W ...

was advancing from

Four Corners The Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area ...

in New York state, de Salaberry's force entrenched themselves by the River Chateauguay. On 26 October, Hampton attacked. Two companies of the Voltigeurs formed part of de Salaberry's front line, and five companies were part of his reserve. At the resulting Battle of the Chateauguay, Hampton was repulsed. Early in 1814, the entire unit concentrated at Montreal, and was built back up to strength. De Salaberry had been appointed Inspecting Field Officer of Militia, and Major Heriot became the Voltigeurs' acting Commanding Officer. A company of the Voltigeurs played a large part in repulsing an American army under Major General

James Wilkinson James Wilkinson (March 24, 1757 – December 28, 1825) was an American soldier, politician, and double agent who was associated with several scandals and controversies. He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, b ...

at the Second Battle of Lacolle Mills in March 1814. The Voltigeurs were brigaded with the Frontier Light Infantry, and another

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

light infantry unit, the Canadian Chasseurs for Governor General Prévost's advance into New York State in September 1814. The combined light infantry force formed part of a brigade under Major General Thomas Brisbane during the

Battle of Plattsburgh The Battle of Plattsburgh, also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain, ended the final British invasion of the northern states of the United States during the War of 1812. An army under Lieutenant General Sir George Prévost and a naval squadro ...

, where the British army retreated after its supporting naval squadron was destroyed. At the end of the war, the unit was disbanded on 24 May 1815.

Legacy

The current

Voltigeurs de Québec Les Voltigeurs de Québec is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. It is located at the Quebec City Armoury in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The name of the regiment commemorates another older French-speaking Canadian militia l ...

today perpetuate the history and traditions of the Canadian Voltigeurs within the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

. They also share a common link by the name, the province in which they are located and family ties since the founding commanding officer,

Charles-René-Léonidas d'Irumberry de Salaberry Charles-René-Léonidas d'Irumberry de Salaberry (27 August 1820 – 25 March 1882) was a French-Canadian militia officer, founding commanding officer of Les Voltigeurs de Québec, and civil servant noted for his role in negotiating on the beh ...

is Charles de Salaberry's grandson, and named after him. A junior

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team in the QMJHL from

Drummondville Drummondville is a city in the Centre-du-Québec region of Quebec, located east of Montreal on the Saint-François River. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 79,258. The mayor of Drummondville is Stéphanie Lacoste. Drummondville is ...

, the

Drummondville Voltigeurs The Drummondville Voltigeurs are a junior ice hockey team of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The franchise was originally granted for the 1982–83 season, and is based in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, playing its home games at th ...

, takes their name from the unit.

Notes

References

* * * *{{cite web, last=Henderson, first=Robert, title=The Battle of Lacolle Mills, work=War of 1812 Website, url=http://www.warof1812.ca/lacolle.htm, accessdate=August 29, 2006, archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20060917020005/http://www.warof1812.ca/lacolle.htm, archivedate= 17 September 2006 , url-status= live

External links

History and Uniform of the Canadian Voltigeurs in the War of 1812cmhg.gc.caKanehsatà:ke Oka Mission Warriors : archives and historical research, Eric Pouliot-Thisdale, Library and Archives Canada, 9 April 2016
Military history of Canada Canadian military units and formations of the War of 1812