For several years the members of Harmon’s Snowshoe Company discussed the period preceding King George’s War and the Seven Year’s War. King Philip’s War, King William’s War and Queen Anne’s War provide many local sites of interest. The techniques and tactics used by the snowshoe men were honed in those earlier conflicts.
It is our intention to recreate the forces that served under Church, as well as the other New England men who served in these three wars. Our target will be the early part of King William’s War, with Church’s three raids and Phips’s attacks on Port Royal and Quebec, but with the flexibility to cover both King Philip’s and Queen Anne’s War. Weapons will be primarily English locks, doglocks, club butt fowlers and early French weapons of the late 17th century. Clothing will be of the late 17th century as well.
One advantage to doing Church’s Company, as opposed to a militia unit, or a company specific to one of the wars, is that Church did participate in all three. His units were not standing but raised for a particular service or raid. His commission in 1704 states that he was appointed major and captain. Following the British practice, he was both the overall commander of the raid and commander of a company. His company was commanded by a lieutenant in the field (In the British army the Colonel’s. Lt-Colonel’s and Major’s companies were commanded by lieutenants.). Essentially, whenever Church went out, there was always a “Church’s Company” whether it was commanded directly by him or not. The second advantage to doing Church is that he used the same tactics and approach we already use in Harmon’s. By that I mean a focus on woods warfare, not linear tactics. You don’t get the impression that Church’s men spent a lot of time on drill. They focused on efficiency.