[3][4] Famously devoted to the Emperor,[5] who even referred to them as "my children";[6] the members of his Old Guard were selected based on physical traits, most notably above-average height.

Those who were too old, or crippled, were sent to the Company of Veterans in Paris, which was full of soldiers, some lacking an arm, others striped with saber cuts.

Any cowardly tendencies or otherwise cautious habits would be thoroughly purged through intense training, which often included advanced bayonet and hand-to-hand combat techniques.

[10] On the other hand, they were strictly supervised in aspects such as the state of their uniforms or the height and presentation of their horses, and severely punished or reprimanded for any failures in those regards.

[14][15] During Napoleon's 1815 return from exile, the Old Guard was reformed,[16] and fought at the Battle of Waterloo, where the 2e Regiment de Grenadiers-à-Pied was pivotal in the defense of the village of Plancenoit against the Prussians.

[19] The Old Guard cavalry was involved in the unsuccessful midday charges against Anglo-allied infantry, and was unavailable at the battle's decisive moments.