These troops were specially raised for colonial service by the Ministère de la Marine, which was responsible for the administration and defense of French colonies in America. They were regular troops who served full-time in the colony to which they were assigned. They were organized into "free" companies, i.e. independent and non-regimented. They were usually known as the "Compagnies franches de la Marine," although in Canadian documents they were variously called "troops of the colony," "troops of the Marine," troops "on detachment from the infantry of the Marine," etc. The Troupes de la Marine in New France had a particular organization for each colony.

     In Canada, after 1671, there was only a very small garrison. The Iroquois, observing this weakness, started to think about taking up arms once again. Incidents multiplied during 1683 and the governor general, seeing that the colony was practically defenseless, asked for emergency reinforcements. By November 1683, a warship had arrived at Quebec City with 150 soldiers in three independent companies of the navy.

		The following table indicates the official number of soldiers and officers allowed in the Compagnies franches de la Marine du Canada:
Soldier, Drummer and Sergeant, Compagnies franches de la Marine du Canada, circa 1690		Year Companies Soldiers Officers 1683 3 150 6 1684 6 300 12 1685 10 500 20 1686 16 800 32 1687 28 1400 84 1688 35 1750 105 1689 28 1400 84 1699 28 840 84 1722 28 812 112 1749 28 1400 112 1750 30 1500 120

     All of the officer's positions were usually filled. However, the true number of soldiers was almost always less than the official figure allowed. In all, some 10,000 soldiers and officers of the Troupes de la Marine were sent to Canada between 1683 and 1760. They took part in almost every campaign and battle during those years, and once demobilized, the majority remained in the colony.