Napoleon Bonaparte congratulating Jean-Roch Coignet by a campfire.  Jean-Roch Coignet (born on

Napoleon Bonaparte congratulating Jean-Roch Coignet by a campfire.

 
Jean-Roch Coignet (born on 16th August 1776) served in the French army from 1799 up through the battle of Waterloo. He was awarded with the Légion d'honneur after single-handedly capturing an Austrian cannon during the battle of Montebello in 1800. Coignet rejoined Napoleon during the hundred days, after Napoleon returned to France during his first exile in 1814. During the battle of Waterloo, he killed a Prussian officer. Coignet was fortunate to survive many campaigns, even the infamous 1812 Russia campaign.

 
After the Napoleonic wars, Coignet settled down in Auxerre with his Tobacco shop. He eventually wrote down his experiences during the Napoleonic wars which were published between 1851-1853. These written down experiences proved to be very popular as eventually even a TV miniseries was made surrounding his life. Jean-Roch Coignet died on 10th december 1865 at the age of 89.