Iroquois war parties intercepted several fur shipments along the St. Lawrence. When they were not seizing Huron and French canoes laden with furs, the war parties were raiding the French settlements along the river. In 1647, Governor Chevalier de Montagny proposed the formation of a "flying column" to patrol the St. Lawrence between Montreal and Trois-Rivières.
In 1649, the year after Chevalier de Montagny returned to France, Governor Louis d'Ailleboust organized the first patrol unit. His nephew, M. de Musseaux, commanded the volunteer force of 50 men, Lauzon, disbanded the force for economic reasons. This was the first example of reductions in Canadian defence spending.
