Thomas Macdonough was born on December 31, 1783, in The Trap (now Macdonough), Delaware. After joining the Navy in 1800, he served in the Tripolitan Wars as a midship-man on the Constellation, and later on the Philadelphia. Transferred to the Enterprise, under Capt. Stephen Decatur, he took part in the 1804 attack on Tripoli. Soon after the War of 1812 began, Macdonough was appointed to head US Naval Command on Lake Champlain. He developed a strong fighting force, despite personnel and logistical challenges. In 1814, Macdonough forced the British naval squadron to surrender, in the most decisive American victory in the war. This earned him many honors, and the rank of captain. After the War of 1812, he was commandant of the Portsmouth Navy Yard and captain of the Gurrière, the Ohio and the Constitution. In 1824, he became commander of the American naval squadron in the Mediterranean. He died at sea on November 10, 1825..
portrait — Thomas Macdonough
Thomas Macdonough
1783–1825 · Naval Officer
Thomas Macdonough was born on December 31, 1783, in The Trap (now Macdonough), Delaware. After joining the Navy in 1800, he served in the Tripolitan Wars as a midship-man on the Constellation, and later on the Philadelphia.