This item is part of The Dr. Albert Goodwin Collection. Click Here to view all items in this collection.
France; Bronze, Belgian-made, obverse illustrating a caricature of a standing Napoleon with a wooden right leg and leaning on a cane held in his left hand, inscribed ""MÉDAILLE DE WATERLOO"" above, ""DU DERNIER DES CHAUVINS"" to the left and ""VOILA TOUT CE QUI RESTE"" to the right and engraver marked ""F Rops"" (Félicien Rops), reverse inscribed in the centre ""REVERS DE LA MÉDAILLE"" over ""15 JUIN 1858"" surrounded by the inscription ""A SES COMPAGNONS DE RACLÉE SA DERNIERE PAROLE....SIGNÉ CAMBRONNE."", 35.7 mm, extremely fine.
Footnote: Pierre Jacques Étienne Cambronne, later Pierre, Viscount Cambronne (December 26, 1770 - January 29, 1842), was a freemason General of the French Empire. He fought during the wars of the Revolution and the Napoleonic Era. Cambronne became Major of the Imperial Guard in 1814, and accompanied Napoléon into exile to the island of Elba, where he was a military commander. He then returned with Napoléon to France on March 1, 1815 for the Hundred Days, capturing the fortress of Sisteron (March 5th), and was made a Count by Napoléon when they arrived at Paris. Cambronne was seriously wounded at the Battle of Waterloo and was taken prisoner by the British. He sent a letter to King Louis XVIII requesting to return to France but he did not receive a response. Instead he was listed in the ordinance of July of 1815 and struck from the army. Nevertheless Cambronne returned to France in December 1815, where he was promptly arrested and thrown into prison at l'Abbaye. He was tried and condemned to die in absentia, not even allowed to be present at his own trial. However, the lawyer Berryer took up Cambronne's cause and successfully defended him, leading to his acquittal and release in 1816. An example of this satirical medal is kept in the British Museum.
This offering is a part of the "Dr. Albert Goodwin Collection", a preeminent assemblage of world Orders, Medals, and Decorations composed solely by Dr.Goodwin between 1946-1967. Dr. Goodwin had a successful career as an educator and prominent physician in New York as well as actively serving in both World Wars with the United States Medical Corps. He acted as both President and Vice-President of the Orders and Medals Society of America (OMSA) and is responsible for organizing their first convention in 1960. He maintained further membership with the American Society of Military Collectors, the International Orders Research Society, and the American Numismatic Society. His knowledge and passion for history and awards is evident in this meticulously compiled collection that is now available in its entirety for the first time exclusively on eMedals.com.