Pierre "Peter" Charles L'Enfant was an American-French artist, professor, and military engineer who in 1791 designed the baroque styled plan for Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. His work is known today as the L'Enfant Plan which inspired plans for Brasilia, New Delhi and the street plan for Detroit, Michigan. Alexander Ralston, who served as an assistant to L'Enfant during the design of the federal city, used Washington, D.C. as a model for his plan for Indianapolis.

Military engineering is loosely defined as the art, science, and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and military communications. Military engineers are also responsible for logistics behind military tactics. Modern military engineering differs from civil engineering. In the 20th and 21st centuries, military engineering also includes CBRN defense and other engineering disciplines such as mechanical and electrical engineering techniques.