The Old Guard: The Old Guard (French Vieille Garde) were the elite veteran elements of the Emperor Napoleon's Imperial Guard. As such it was the most prestigious formation in Napoleon's Grande Armée. French soldiers often referred to Napoleon's Imperial Guard as "the Immortals." There were four regiments of Old Guard infantry: the 1st Grenadiers, 2nd Grenadiers, 1st Chasseurs, and 2nd Chasseurs. Members of the Old Guard benefitted from a number of different privileges. The wages of individual soldiers in the Old Guard were considerably higher than any other military unit in Napoleon's Imperial Guard.
The Imperial Guard, AKA, The Young/Old Guard: No Napoleonic unit marched into battle with more confidence and promise of military glory than the Imperial Guard. They embodied the physical strength and bravery that characterized anciet warriors. Chandler writes that the Imperial Guard was "one of the most celebrated military formations in history" (Chandler - "Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars" p 205 publ. 1993)