Osprey Trade Editions : Napoleon's Guard

Napoleon's Imperial Guard was the elite corps of the French Army, and, as members of the Emperor's personal Guard, its soldiers were accorded a degree of care and attention which distinguished them from the rest of the French Army. The Guard differed from the guard corps of other European sovereigns of the period, in that its function was rather functional than ceremonial, and its expansion was such that it came to represent a considerable portion of France's military establishment. By supplying personnel to other units, it functioned as a training school for the remainder of the army, yet the elite status of the guard did little to protect its soldiers from the rigours of combat in the brutal Napoleonic Wars. Text by Philip Haythornthwaite with illustrations by Richard Hook.