Elite fighting forces have always exercised an extraordinary hold on the the popular imagination. The Imperial Guard established a unique reputation for loyalty, courage and battlefiled effectiveness. Here, Andrew Uffindell uses previously unpublished primary sources to to reassess impartially this great fighting formation. Three of the guard's greatest battles are described in detail. Using revealing new research and photographs of the battlefields today he sheds new light on the controversial charge at Somosierra in 1808, and the Battles of Dresden (1813) and Montmirail (1814). At the same time, he describes for the first time just what it was like to join this elite band. 'Uffindell is that rare combination in military historians - oustanding researcher and sparkling writer.' (Military History Today, USA.)