Colonel Picquart giving evidence before the court martial at Rennes. Alfred Dreyfus was a French soldier who in 1894 was accused of handing over confidential documents linked relating to national defence to a foreign government. Dreyfus faced life imprisonment, but supporters of Dreyfus's innocence managed to obtain a retrial during which it was discovered that the documents used in the first trial were forgeries. Dreyfus was found guilty for a second time, but he was pardoned for his crime. He gained his status in the French army and went on to serve in World War One, and was awarded the Legion of Honour.