 In 1857, he was awarded the Medal of Saint Helena by Napoleon III

His style, which emphasised the conservation of movement, was a major influence on the French school of fencing, despite leaving no written record.This also led to his attempts to remove tierce from the classic parries.He is credited with the sayings, "A foil should be held as one holds a little bird; not so tightly as to crush it, but just enough to prevent it escaping from the hand.