Regulations called for three soldiers to share each bed in a barracks room. It was expected, however, that one of the three would be standing guard, so that no more than two men would have to share a bed at one time. The soldiers slept on straw-filled mattresses and were issued one woollen blanket each. Food was cooked in the iron pot allotted to each room, and coarse stoneware or pewter vessels were used for eating. Each soldier kept food rations and personal belongings in a chest near his bed. In the first half of the eighteenth century there were few rules governing the condition of the barracks, since the concept of billeting soldiers together in one building was relatively new to French military life.
The men were expected to make their beds and sweep the floors. At Louisbourg, soldiers working on construction were required to be on the job one hour after reveille, and this left little time for housekeeping chores. These duties probably fell to the men who were not part of the day's guard. Military authorities recognized the potential danger of disease spreading in unsanitary living quarters, and company officers were expected to inspect the barracks regularly to ensure that they were kept clean. These rules were not always enforced, however, for on at least one occasion the straw mattresses which should have been changed monthly were left for a year. The result was an infestation of lice so severe that it drove the men outdoors to sleep.
As for the cleanliness of the men themselves, they were expected to wash their hands and face daily, tie their hair back in a queue, and keep their uniforms clean and mended. The soldiers were issued an annual supply of soap as well as needles and thread. A surgeon's apprentice was stationed in the barracks to shave the men and handle requirements for first aid. Men from the Karrer Regiment were provided with the services of a washerwoman for their linen, but those in the Compagnies franches had to contract individually with one of the women in town, often a soldier's wife, for laundry service.
