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Re: Old Guard at ease...that old height argument

Don't forget that the myth of "Napoleon the short" was just that, created by the British press and spread widely at the time; and through the ages.
At 169 cm (or 170 cm, depending on rounding of the conversion), Napoleon was average to slightly above average height compared with the Frenchmen of his time. The min. requirements for entry to the Grenadiers of the Guard was 176 cm.
I reckon I can see the 0.8333 mm difference in these masters!:)
Of course, that is against the min. requirements, so some guardsmen would have been taller (as they are in these masters). We know from Coignet's memoir that he "cheated the test" using the old paper in the shoes trick (he also got around the literacy requirements for promotion, learning 'on the job'). The officer beside the Great Man may well be him or another of his ilk!