CAPTAIN COIGNET. A 'grouser' tells his thrilling story of life in the Imperial Guard Jean-Roche Coignet's story embraces much that typifies the revolutionary French and Napoleonic eras. Coignet recounts his life from abused childhood to peasant worker, then to enlistment in the army-where an exploit of remarkable heroism, early in his military career, earns him recognition and sets him on a path of advancement through the ranks of Napoleon's Imperial Guard Grenadiers where he finally earns the rank of captain. Through his words we experience many of the campaigns and battles of the Napoleonic Wars-culminating in Waterloo. Coignet's close contact with his Emperor offers many insights into the great man, his court and his generals.