[1] The event was won by Ramón Fonst of Cuba, the first of his two golds in individual épée.

Silver and bronze both went to host nation fencers, Louis Perrée and Léon Sée.

[1] The event used a four-round format: round 1, quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final.

[1] The first round of the event consisted of pool play round-robin tournaments.

After three of the original quarterfinalists (Maurice Jay, André Rabel, and Jean-Joseph Renaud) withdrew after the draw, the quarterfinals were redrawn: there were five pools with six fencers each, while the sixth pool included Holzchuch and four fencers who had lost in other quarterfinals and were given a second chance to advance.