MACDONOUGH
THOMAS
American sailor, born in Delaware, his father being an officer of the Continental Army, entered the U.S. Navy, 180o. During his long service as a lieutenant he took part in the bombardment of Tripoli, and on a subsequent occasion showed great firmness in resisting the seizure of a seaman as an alleged deserter from the British Navy, his ship at the time lying under the guns of Gibraltar. When war with England broke out, in 1812, he was ordered to cruise in the lakes between Canada and the United States, with his headquarters on Lake Champlain. He was instru mental in saving New York and Vermont from invasion by his brilliant victory of Lake Champlain gained on Sept. 11, 1814, with a flotilla of 14 vessels carrying 86 guns, over Capt. George Downie's 16 vessels and 92 guns. For this important achievement New York and Vermont granted him estates, and Congress gave him a gold medal.
1908), American musical composer, was born in New York city on Dec. 18, 1861. His parents, who were Irish, had emigrated to America from Belfast shortly before the boy's birth. He had a varied education in music, first under Spanish-American teach ers, and then in Europe, at Paris (Debussy being a fellow pupil), Stuttgart, Wiesbaden and Weimar, where he was chiefly influ enced by Joachim, Raff and Liszt. From 1879 to 1887 he lived in Germany, teaching and studying, and also appearing as solo pianist at important concerts. In 1884 he married Marian Nevins, of New York. He returned to America in 1888, and settled in Boston until 1896 when he was made professor of music at Co lumbia university, New York. This post he resigned in 1904, and in 1905 overwork and insomnia resulted in a complete cerebral collapse. He died on Jan. 24, 1908. MacDowell's work gives him perhaps the highest place among American composers. Deeply influenced by modern French models and by German romanticism, full of poetry and "atmosphere," and founded on the "programme" idea of composition, it is essentially creative in the spirit of a searcher after delicate truths of artistic expres sion. His employment of touches of American folk-song, sug gested by Indian themes, is characteristic. This is notably the
case with his orchestral Indian Suite (1896) and Woodland Sketches for the piano.
See Lawrence Gilman, Edward MacDowell (1906).
(1818-1885), American soldier, was born in Columbus, 0., on Oct. 15, 1818. He was educated in France, and graduated at the U.S. military academy in 1838. From 1841 to 1845 he was instructor, and later adjutant, at West Point. He won the brevet of captain in the Mexican War at the battle of Buena Vista, and served as adjutant-general, chiefly at Washington, until 1861, being promoted major in 1856. While occupied in mustering volunteers at the capital, he was made brigadier-general in May, 1861, and placed in command during the premature Virginian campaign of July, which ended in the defeat at Bull Run. Under McClellan he became a corps corn mander and major-general of volunteers (March 1862). When the Peninsular campaign began McDowell's corps was detained against McClellan's wishes, sent away to join in the fruitless chase of "Stonewall" Jackson in the Shenandoah valley, and eventually came under the command of Gen. Pope, taking part in the disas trous campaign of Second Bull Run. Involved in Pope's disgrace, McDowell was relieved of duty in the field (Sept. 1862), and served on the Pacific coast 1864-68. He became, on Meade's death in 1872, major-general of regulars, and commanded various divisions until his retirement in 1882. As a commander he was uniformly unfortunate. Undoubtedly he was a faithful, unselfish and energetic soldier, and in patriotic sympathy with the admin istration. It was his misfortune to be associated with the first great disaster to the Union cause, and finally to be involved in the catastrophe of Pope's campaign. That he was perhaps too ready to accept great risks at the instance of his superiors is the only just criticism to which his military character was open. He died in San Francisco on May 4, 1885.
See James Kendall Hosmer, The Appeal to Arms, 1861-63, in "American Nation" series, vol. xx. (1907).