The Milice de Louisbourg that existed in 1745 was made up of people from the town of Louisbourg, fishermen and farmers from surrounding areas. As is traditional with a militia group they assisted the military forces at Louisbourg during times of military emergency. The group of re-enactors called the Milice de Louisbourg (Louisbourg Militia) portrays this group.
Today a well-organized unit exists, which is limited to twenty members because of the availability of costumes. The Militia costumes are authentic, and this group also receives training from the Park in musket firing and demonstrations. Each member portraying an active militiaman must possess a Fire Arms Acquisition Certificate. This group meets on a regular basis and has developed a formalized program of training and activities. They participate in all special events at the Park, and represent the Park at a number of special events in the surrounding communities.
The cannons we used in 18th century Louisbourg were 24 livres (almost 12 kilograms or 26 pounds). Each cannon and carriage weighs several tons.
