The Imperial Guard was Napoleon's reserve, and its great privilege was often to be held back. Committed only at the decisive moment — and sometimes not at all — the Guard could spend a battle watching while the line infantry bled to take the ground, which bred a steady resentment in the marching regiments: the guardsmen drew better pay and larger rations and wore the tall bearskin, yet were spared the worst of the fighting. The bargain ran both ways. When the Guard was finally sent forward it was expected to settle the matter, and a veteran standing fast with fixed bayonet was the army's last argument in a close fight.

The figure stands in a defensive posture — Charleville musket levelled with fixed bayonet, weight set back, ready to receive an attack. He wears the full dress of the Grenadiers à Pied: the tall bearskin with red plume, dark blue coat with red epaulettes and white cross-belts, and white campaign trousers flecked with the mud of the field. He is built for a firing line or the face of a square. Set a French Imperial Guard Kneeling Defending in the front rank before him, dress the line with a second Standing Defending pose, and add a French Imperial Guard Standing Firing at Will to put the volley in motion.

W. Britain model 36187. 1/30 scale (approximately 60mm), matte-painted metal. Single foot figure on a sculpted groundwork base. Boxed.