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Thomas Macdonough
1783-1825
Macdonough, appointed a midshipman in 1800, first came to public attention during the first Barbary War. He was part of the crew that destroyed Philadelphia after the frigate ran aground in Tripoli Harbor.
During the War of 1812, he commanded the American naval forces on Lake Champlain. He was promoted to captain in recognition of his defeat of the British naval squadron on the lake. After the war, Macdonough commanded the Portsmouth Navy Yard, then the new frigate Guerriere in the Mediterranean. During a second cruise to the Mediterranean, in command of Constitution, he requested that he be relieved because of ill health. He died at sea on his way home. |