Thomas MacDonough
| Thomas Macdonough | |
|---|---|
Captain Thomas Macdonough, USN
"The Hero of Lake Champlain" (Gilbert Stuart) |
|
| Born |
December 30, 1783 The Trap, New Castle County, Delaware |
| Died | November 10, 1825 (aged 41) at sea aboard USS Edwin, near Gibraltar |
| Place of burial | Middletown, Connecticut |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy
|
| Years of service | 1800–1810; 1812–1825 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Commands held |
|
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Congressional Gold Medal |
| Relations |
|
Thomas Macdonough, Jr. (December 31, 1783 – November 10, 1825) was an early-19th-century American naval officer noted for his roles in the first Barbary War and the War of 1812. He was the son of a revolutionary officer, Thomas Macdonough, Sr. who lived near Middletown, Delaware. He was the sixth child from a family of ten siblings and was raised in the countryside. He entered naval life at an early age, receiving a midshipman's commission at the age of sixteen. Serving with Stephen Decatur at Tripoli, he was a member of "Preble's Boys", a select group of U.S. naval officers who served under the command of Commodore Preble during the First Barbary War. Macdonough achieved fame during the War of 1812, commanding the American naval forces that defeated the British navy at the Battle of Lake Champlain, part of the larger Battle of Plattsburgh, which helped lead to an end to that war.
Major Thomas Macdonough Senior, Captain Thomas Macdonough's father, lived at a farm referred to as “The Trap” (also spelled 'Trapp'), in the county of New Castle, Delaware. He received a contemporary education here but it remains uncertain if he attended any sort of formal schools or was taught by family members or a tutor. He was a major in the Continental Army. Macdonough's great-grandfather, also named Thomas Macdonough, lived in Ireland in the Salmon Leap district not far from Dublin. He was of the Protestant faith and succeeding generations were connected with the Episcopal Church in the United States,
Thomas Macdonough Jr. was born in a small town near Odessa, which later was named MacDonough, Delaware, in his honor. He was employed in Middletown as a clerk upon the return of his brother James, who lost a leg in a naval battle with a French vessel in 1799 during the Quasi-War with France. Shortly after, Macdonough requested a commission with the United States Navy with the assistance of Senator Latimer from the state of Delaware.
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