|
|laterwork= |battles= |awards=Congressional Gold Medal |relations= }} Thomas Macdonough, Jr. (December 21, 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.〔Lewis, 1924 p.163〕 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.〔Skaggs, 2006 pp.62-64〕 ==Early life== 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.〔Barnes, 1896 pp.209〕〔Skaggs, 2006 pp.128〕 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,〔Macdonough, 1909 p.11〕 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.〔Skaggs, 2006 p.27〕 Shortly after, Macdonough requested a commission with the United States Navy with the assistance of Senator Latimer from the state of Delaware. Macdonough was a tall, dignified man with a commanding character which suited him well for military service. He was a devoutly religious man of Episcopal faith, as were his parents and greater family. He was known to adhere to a set of steadfast principles in his personal and military life.〔Frost, 1845 p.304〕〔Macdonough, 1909 p.11.〕 Before joining the Navy, Thomas, Jr., for unknown reasons, changed the spelling of his last name from "McDonough" to "Macdonough.〔Frost, 1845 pp.293-294〕 On May 27, 1800, at the age of sixteen, Macdonough secured a warrant and served as a midshipman aboard the 24-gun , a corvette class ship, converted over from a merchantman vessel and outfitted as a man-of-war.〔Skaggs, 2006 pp.22-30〕 Under the command of Captain John Mullowny, ''Ganges'' then set sail for the West Indies. During operations there she captured three French merchant ships between May and September. When hostilities between the United States and France had finally ended the following year on October 20, 1801, Macdonough was assigned to , a 38-gun frigate. Commanded by Alexander Murray, ''Constellation'' was about to embark on its mission in the Mediterranean sea. While serving aboard ''Constellation'' he received a thorough education from Murray in seamanship, navigation, gunnery, and other nautical sciences towards improving his service as a junior officer.〔Skaggs, 2006 p.39〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Thomas Macdonough」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|