#revwarfandom

[major-pierre-lenfant]

From Aristocratic Fury on X.

[major-pierre-lenfant]

USA Kilts has released the first pattern in their USA 250 line that will continue through to 2026, the 250th anniversary: E Pluribus Unum. Its colors and blocking were developed to honor the idea of unity.

I’ve already planned to get a kilt from them soon, though am struggling to decide on family clans or E Pluribus Unum now.

Go have a look.

[major-pierre-lenfant]

I'm reading a book I've had sitting in pile for some time. "Washington Burning: How a Frenchman's vision for our nation's Capital survived Congress, the Founding Fathers, and the invading British army" by Les Standiford.

Surprisingly, I haven't been able to put it down. The context is extraordinary. The affection, understanding, insight and respect offered L'Enfant is unlike anything else I've read. All the problems, issues, and situations are much better explained and lay less blame on L'Enfant than nearly everything else - including Berg's biography. All the tragicness normally associated with L'Enfant is much more realistically explained. I have learned things I never knew, and had suspicions or perspectives confirmed. Also, Standiford creates beautiful visuals.

At the time of preparing the plan, Washington was working with landowners. To get the land. To build the capital.

"Washington's plan to pit two competing groups of landowners against each other so that he might get a price that would not break the national bank had backfired. Now it seemed as though he night not be able to cobble together enough property from either faction to make his plans work."

Offering a solution was...L'Enfant.

"Just make the city larger, he suggested to Washington. Buy land from both groups."

The visual:

"It is tempting to imagine a scene in which the commander-in- chief sits at a table at Suter's Fountain Inn with plans spread and head in hands. Outside the rain pelts and inside the flamboyant L'Enfant paces a smoky, overheated room, his hands flying as he tosses out ideas in accented, sometimes fractured English - grand public buildings here...who-knows-what in between - and all the while Washington's mind wanders...that he could win a war with England and assume a presidency unopposed and unite a Congress as divided as oil from water on the matter of where to build a capital, yet find himself stymied by...tobacco planters and small town self-promoters... when suddenly he glances up at the architect with something like recognition dawning on his face and a hand raised to stanch the flood of words with his own interjection.. Hold on, L'Enfant. Hold on. Perhaps you've got something there."