Troupes de la marine See also Troupes de Marine for later history of same Corps . The Troupes de la Marine ( Troops of the Navy ) , also known as independent companies of the navy and colonial regulars , were under the authority of the French Minister of Marine , who was also responsible for the French navy , overseas trade , and French colonies . They were the only regular soldiers in New France from 1682 to 1755 , when several army battalions were dispatched to North America . In the early seventeenth century , Cardinal Richelieu ordered the creation of the " Troupes de la Marine " to serve aboard French naval vessels . About eighty companies of one hundred men each were formed . The " Troupes de la Marine " were dispatched by Louis XIV in 1682 to replace French regulars in New France , and were used to garrison other French colonies . Initially , the troops that were recruited in France and arrived in Quebec by 1683 were composed of three companies . The number of companies in Canada steadily increased over the years and reached as many as 40 companies by the year 1757 . The roughly 30 companies stationed in the territory of Canada gradually developed into the first permanent ‘ Canadian ’ military force . A company of marines was usually composed of 45 to 65 soldiers , two sergeants , two corporals and one drummer , overseen by a capitaine . The majority of the rank and file soldiers were lower class men recruited in France , although the officers were increasingly Canadian - born and noble . Promotions from soldiers to the officer corps were non - existent and the individual ranks were separated by large pay gaps . Young Canadian - born men were usually admitted into the officer ranks by commissions as cadets or ensigns through the governor . The sons of noblemen or existing officers were usually preferentially selected for positions in the officer corps as well . Cadets constituted a boy or young man who served in a company and was being trained to become an officer in the future . Officers would often exploit the selective nature of admittance to the corps by enrolling their boys sometimes as early as age 5 in order to receive more rations and an extra salary . In 1717 , the admission of officers under the age of 14 was prohibited , but the exploitation of the system continued . Service in the officer corps of the " Troupes de la Marine " was an important source of economic opportunity and prestige for New France ' s elite and there was usually a waiting list for commissions in " Marine " companies . However , colonial enlistment of rank - and - file soldiers was discouraged because it reduced agricultural settlement . During periods of peace , soldiers received additional pay for their services in the construction of forts and roads . Due to a chronic labor shortage , the colonial regulars were also permitted to increase their pay by rendering their services on local farms . Although the strength of the force varied widely over time , by the French and Indian War , there were some forty companies serving in the St . Lawrence Valley and the Pays d ' en Haut , about twenty at Louisbourg , and more in Louisiana and Acadia . Large garrisons were maintained at Quebec , Montreal , and New Orleans , with smaller forces guarding posts to secure the frontiers and supply routes throughout France ' s vast territories in North America by the eighteenth century . Small detachments of troops were sent to protect the advance trading posts , which were integral to the success of the profitable fur trade in New France . The companies were considered colonial regulars and were well trained in conventional warfare and became proficient as bush fighters ( what today would be called guerrilla s or irregulars ) . In Louisbourg , the canoniers - bombardiers company ( artillery company ) was established in 1743 . Two soldiers were chosen from each company stationed at the Louisbourg Garrison , to be trained by the master gunner at firing and aiming cannons . As a result of their extra training and duties , the canoniers were paid an additional six livres per month in compensation for their inability to earn money in the construction of forts or elsewhere , and were offered cash prizes for good marksmanship . The Louisbourg artillery company was composed of 13 canoniers , 12 bombardiers , one drummer , two corporals and two sergeants , led by a lieutenant and a captain . Along with the Canadian militia and France ' s Amerindian allies , the Troupes de la Marine were essential to the defence of New France in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries . With the arrival of large numbers of British regulars after 1755 , the nature of warfare in North America shifted from irregular to conventional European warfare , with particular importance attached to sieges and fortifications . French army battalions were also dispatched to fight in North America after 1755 . During the Seven Years War , the Louisbourg Garrison ' s residents became prisoners to the British when the fortress fell , and after the conquest of 1760 , many settled permanently in the new territory , while others were repatriated to France .