Thomas Macdonough

Thomas Macdonough (1783-1825), a native of Delaware, entered the US Navy in 1800, serving with distinction during the Barbary War. He fought alongside Stephen Decatur during their notable raid to destroy the USS Philadelphia, which had been captured by the enemy. An assignment to supervise gunboat construction in 1806 brought him to Middletown, Connecticut, where he met and later married Lucy Ann Shaler. Macdonough was placed in command of the US naval squadron on Lake Champlain, and in September 1814 he defeated a British squadron and won national acclaim for his action at Plattsburgh Bay. Macdonough died at sea in 1825 and was buried in his adopted hometown of Middletown. (© Mystic Seaport Collection, Mystic, CT, #1961.685)