Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-12-06

FINN, tie NJ York Com. advertiser, Dec. S.
CON. MACDONOuGH'S FUNERAL.
The Funeral was conducted in all
respects agreeably to the arrangements
published by the committee on We'd
nesday.
About 1 o'clock on Thursday morn
ing, the corpse was removed from the
Nav Yard to the La Fayette steps at
the Castle Garden. The procession
consisted of the steam boat George
Washington and thirteen barges, with
mufied. oars, manned by the seamen
from the United States vessels. They
passed down the East River, pull g
minute strokes, the music playing the
dead march.
Captain Thomas Macaonough was
the son Of an eminent physician Of the
same name, who resided in the county
of New Castle, in the state OF Delaware
He was appointed Major in the Re.
evolutionary army, in l7o5; but retired
early from he service. After the peace
he held several responsible Offices, and
died in 1896 He had several children,
among whom wee three sons The
eldest James, was midshipman under
Commodore Truxton, when he took
the Insurgent, in which action he was
so severely wounded as to be Obliged
to have q leg amputated, and leave the
service. After the death OF his father,
the lamented subject Of this article OBJ
tanned mirlshipman's warrant, and
commenced his career with many 9TH
err gallant Young men, all ardently de-
string an opportunity to distinguish
themselves. He accompanied our lit
tie lleet to the Mediterranean, and was
frequently engaged in the conflicts
which t, sted the relative proves OF
Christians and Mahometans, in the Tri
politian war. Though a, this time
grave, reserved, and circnmspect IN a
remarkable degree, we are told (by the
Analectic Magazine) he was then re-
markahle for daring impetuosity, an
inyincible chiyalrous sort OF persever-
ance in every so.'t of adventure.
In 1906 he was first Lieutenant OF the
Siren, then lying in the harbor Of Glib
ral,ar, under the late Capt John Smith
While here, young Macdonough sig
nalised himself in thu absence Of the
Captain, who was on shore, by rescu-
ing an American seaman, who was inn
pressed from one of our merchantmen,
lying near the Siren. Macdonough,
hearing the fact, ordered his gig to be
manned and armed, pursued the boat
Of the press-gang, and rescued the sea
man when along side OF the British
frigate. The CAPTAIN Of the frigate
went on board of the Siren, in great
rage, to demand how he dared to take
a man from one Of his majesty's boats?
And he even threatened to haul the fri
gate along side of the Siren, and r take
he man by force. TO this Macdo-
nough replied, che supposed his ship
could sink the Siren, but as long as she
could swim, he would keep the man"
The Briton was in great passion and
after leaving the Siren, made u demon
stration as though he would board the
American merchantmen, and seize the
seaman; but the prompt preparations
of Marlborough induced him to relin-
quish the object.
In the interval between the Tripoli-
tan war and the late war with Great Bril-
tain, which commenced in 1912, there
were no opportunities for our naval
commanders to signalize themselves;
and the life ofMacdonough, like those
of bis companions in arms, furnished
no incident of suffcien, public impor-
lance to be interesting to the reader.
1t was during these years OF rep ,se, that
he settled in Middletown, Connecticut,
formed anacquaintalfce with Miss Sha-
Ter, and married her. Soon after the
declaration of the war in 1912, low
ever, nall naval force was created
on Lake Champlain, for the purpose
OF affording protection to our frontier,
and facilitating our military operations
in that quarter The British also pla-
ced naval force upon the Lake, and
bo,hnations continued to augment their
forces from year to year, enIll 1914,
when each had four vessels of war; the
Americans had ten galIies, mounting
l6 guns in all; and the British thirteen
galIies, mounting Is guns The largest
American ship, the Saratoga, mount
ed 20 guns. The Conhance, the lar
gest English ship, mounted Sc guns.
The total number of American guns
was IS; the total number Of Brnisn, 95.
The American squadron carried two
thousand s twenty three pounds weight
of metal, and eight hundred and twen-
ty men; that Of the British nineteen
hundred and fifty weight Of metal, and
one thousand and fifty mtn. Licute-
nant NJ ~Cdonough commanded the A.
mericau squadron, and Captain Dow
ME commanded the British.
This was the darkest period of that
IL