120 HEREDITY AND DEVELOPMENT OF NAVAL OFFICERS. 



36. THOMAS MACDONOUGH. 



THOMAS MACDONOUGH was born in Newcastle county, Delaware, December 

 23, 1783. At the age of 17 years he received a midshipman's warrant and served 

 on the Philadelphia, but was not captured when she was lost to the Moors. Later 

 he was in the Enterprise under Captain Stephen Decatur. His bravery as one 

 of a party under Decatur that recaptured and destroyed the Philadelphia received 

 special commendation. At 24 years he was made lieutenant and 6 years later mas- 

 ter commander. At the outbreak of the War of 1812 he was stationed at Lake 

 Champlain. In the summer of 1814 a British fleet carrying about 95 guns and 

 1,000 men, supported by a land force of 1,500, attacked his fleet of 80 guns and 850 

 men. The British were defeated. It is said that, though commanding the fleet, 

 Macdonough insisted on pointing his favorite gun, "putting his mathematical 

 knowledge to the closest test and invariably making a death blow." As a reward 

 he was made captain and received a gold medal from Congress. His last com- 

 mand was with the Mediterranean squadron. He died in November 1825, at the 

 age of 42 years. 



Some of the elements that fitted Macdonough for his work were the following: 



He was fond of adventure and fighting; as a lad he liked practical jokes. 

 As we have seen, he was specially commended for work done on the nocturnal 

 exploit of recapturing and burning the Philadelphia. When, after the War of 1812, 

 he was assigned only to land service, he protested that he wished to employ him- 

 self "in the arts of my profession." All of the Macdonough boys were reputed 

 to be "full of life." Thomas's brother James was also a midshipman. His father's 

 brother Micah saw service under General St. Clair. His father was wounded 

 while gallantly fighting in the Revolutionary War. His mother's father was a 

 captain in the colonial militia. 



He had great foresight and tactical skill. Says Roosevelt concerning the 

 Lake Champlain battle: "He had a decidedly superior force to contend against. 

 He forced the British to engage at a disadvantage by his excellent choice of posi- 

 tion; and he prepared beforehand for every possible contingency. His skill, 

 seamanship, quick eye, readiness of resource, and indomitable pluck are beyond 

 all praise." An "example of foresight and accurate reasoning in preparation for 

 the battle, as well as of undaunted perseverance, gallantry, and skill in conducting 

 it to a successful issue," says another critic. 



He had tireless energy and patience which enabled him to prepare himself 

 for the fight that was coming and to collect the necessary men and materials despite 

 discouraging conditions. He had no sympathy with idlers. He was punctilious 

 in the discharge of every duty; he knew he could point his best gun better than 

 any other man and reserved that function for himself. This energy and patience 

 were in his father also, who was trained in medicine, but when occasion arose fought 

 well, later served for many years on the privy council and as justice of the court 

 of common pleas, and showed a naturally sound judgment. His father's father, 

 too, was energetic and possessed of business ability of a high order. 



Macdonough was a man of fine character. He received the sword of his 

 naval opponent on Lake Champlain without boasting, pointing out certain defects 

 in the work of the smaller vessels of his opponent. His autobiography is modest 

 and unassuming. His charity was broad and catholic and of his own he gave 

 generously, just as his father's father, "a man of fine character and of strong 

 convictions," did to his children during his lifetime. 



