It could mean the soldier himself. It could mean things given to soldiers when they joined the military such as weapons,equipment or clothes.

VOA: special.2010.03.07

And when they were acquitted, only two people who were condemned from those forces, they had joined voluntarily and the others, the malgre-nous were, "In spite of ourselves," Were pardoned.

当他们被无罪释放的时候,那个军队里,只有两个人被判刑,他们是自愿加入的不过其他人,那些"不情愿的","不情愿的人"被赦免了

耶鲁公开课 - 1871年后的法国课程节选