He fought during the wars of the Revolution and the Napoleonic Era. He was wounded at the Battle of Waterloo.
Two famous quotations are attributed to Cambronne during the battle of Waterloo. When summoned to surrender by British troops, he is quoted by Victor Hugo to have answered "The Guard dies, and does not surrender." Thruth may be more prosaic; he is also said to have answered the "word of Cambronne", as it is known in polite French, that is, "Shit!" (Merde !).
Letters published in the London Times record that he said neither, as he was already a prisoner, but that they may have been said by General Michel who was killed at Waterloo.