Born in Aÿ, France, Rochefontaine came to America in 1778 after failing to gain a position in the French Royal Corps of Engineers.
He volunteered in General Washington's Continental Army on May 15, 1778 and was appointed captain in the Corps of Engineers on September 18, 1778.
For his distinguished services at the siege of Yorktown, Rochefontaine was given the brevet rank of major by Congress, November 16, 1781.
He returned to France in 1783 and served as an infantry officer, reaching the rank of colonel in the French Army.
Rochefontaine started a military school at West Point in 1795, but the building and all his equipment were burned the following year.