Pierre-Charles L'Enfant
| Pierre Charles L'Enfant | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 2, 1754 Paris, France |
| Died | June 14, 1825 (aged 70) Prince George's County, Maryland |
| Resting place |
Arlington National Cemetery 38°52′51.97″N 77°04′20.29″W / 38.8811028°N 77.0723028°W |
| Monuments | L'Enfant Plaza, Washington, D.C. |
| Nationality | French |
| Other names |
|
| Citizenship | American |
| Education | Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture |
| Occupation | Military engineer, architect |
| Known for | L'Enfant Plan |
| Parent(s) |
|
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch | Continental Army |
| Rank | Brevet Major |
| Unit | Corps of Engineers |
| Battles/wars | |
Pierre Charles L'Enfant (French: [pjɛʁ ʃɑʁl lɑ̃fɑ̃]; August 2, 1754 – June 14, 1825), also known as Peter Charles L'Enfant or Charles Peter L'Enfant, was a French-born American military engineer who designed the basic plan for Washington, D.C. (capital city of the U.S.) known today as the L'Enfant Plan (1791).
L'Enfant was born in Paris, France on August 2, 1754, the third child and second son of Pierre L'Enfant (1704–1787), a painter with a good reputation in the service of King Louis XV, and Marie L'Enfant, the daughter of a minor official at court. In 1758, his brother Pierre Joseph died at the age of six, and Pierre Charles became the eldest son. He studied art at the Royal Academy in the Louvre, as well as with his father at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. He left school in France to enlist in the American Revolutionary War on the side of the rebelling colonials.
L'Enfant was recruited by Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais to serve in the American Revolutionary War in the American colonies. He arrived in 1777 at the age of 23, and served as a military engineer in the Continental Army with Major General Lafayette. He was commissioned as a captain in the Corps of Engineers on April 3, 1779 to rank from February 18, 1778.
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