Lefebvre was born on 28 May 1755 in
Rouffach,
Alsace, the son of a
miller and retired
hussar. Orphaned at a young age, he was raised by an uncle who, himself a priest, unsuccessfully tried to lead him to a career in the church. After working as a clerk to the prosecutor of
Colmar, Lefebvre enlisted in the
French Guards in 1773. As a commoner, Lefebvre had little prospect for advancement; he was promoted to
corporal in 1777 and to
sergeant in 1788. In 1783 he married
Cathérine Hübscher, with whom he had 14 children, although all predeceased him. According to
Louise Fusil: his last son, a
general, died in
Vilna on 19 December 1812. Lefebvre was in
Paris at the time of the
Storming of the Bastille in 1789 and, like his close friend,
Michel Ordener, he embraced the
French Revolution. After his unit was disbanded early in the Revolution, Lefebvre entered the newly-formed
National Guard of Paris, obtaining the rank of lieutenant, and was injured defending King
Louis XVI during a popular uprising. He was soon transferred to a regular infantry regiment. ==French Revolutionary Wars==