Henri Bertrand, a French general who accompanied Napoleon to St Helena in 1815, recorded this moving impression of the dying Napoleon:
In the morning, he had asked twenty times if he might have some coffee. "No, sire." "Will the doctors let me have a spoonful?" "No, sire, not just yet. The stomach is too much inflamed. You might vomit more frequently." He had vomited perhaps eight or nine times during the day.
How many thoughts on so great a change! Tears came into my eyes as I watched this man, who was so terrible, who gave his commands so proudly, so absolutely, pleading for a spoonful of coffee, begging leave and obeying like a child, asking again and being refused. At other times in his illness he used to scout his doctors and their advice and do as he pleased. Now he had the docility of a child. This was the great Napoleon: pitiful, humble.
亨利．貝特朗是一位法國將領，一八一五年陪伴拿破崙往聖赫勒拿島。他記下拿破崙垂死時的情況，所見所感，十分動人：
那天早上，他問了二十次可不可以喝咖啡。「陛下，不可以。」「醫師許不許我只喝一匙？」「不行，陛下，現在還不可以。你的胃發炎得厲害，喝咖啡，嘔吐可能頻繁一點。」那天，他已吐了約八、九次。
那巨大的變化，令人感慨萬端。我望着拿破崙，眼淚盈眶。這個人一度是那麼厲害，發號施令時是那麼自豪果斷，但他現在求索的只是一匙咖啡，求之不得，就像孩子一般聽話，然後再次乞求，再次被拒。他患病期間，曾經視醫師和醫師的告誡如無物，現在，他像孩子般順從。叱咤風雲的拿破崙，變得那樣堪憐，那樣卑微。