Thomas Macdonough - Legacy

Legacy

Macdonough in this battle won a higher fame than any other commander of the war, British or American. He had a decidedly superior force to contend against, the officers and men of the two sides being about on a par in every respect; and it was solely owing to his foresight and resource that we won the victory. He forced the British to engage at a disadvantage by his excellent choice of position; and he prepared beforehand for every possible contingency. His personal prowess had already been shown at the cost of the rovers of Tripoli, and in this action he helped fight the guns as ably as the best sailor. His skill, seamanship, quick eye, readiness of resource, and indomitable pluck, are beyond all praise. Down to the time of the Civil War he is the greatest figure in our naval history.

• Several U.S. Navy ships have been named USS Macdonough in his honor.
• In 1937, at the urging of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the U.S. Post Office issued a series of five postage stamps honoring the U.S. Navy and various naval heroes in American history. Stephen Decatur and Thomas MacDonough (right) appearing on the two-cent denomination, were among the few chosen to appear in this commemorative series.
• The annual Commodore Macdonough sailboat race (a nonstop 74-nautical-mile (137 km) overnight event sponsored by the Lake Champlain Yacht Club of Shelburne, Vermont) has been held on the lake every September since 1968.
• The New York State University of New York located at Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, N.Y. has a dormitory with the name Macdonough Hall; the hall being the oldest dormitory, and the initial dorm building.
• Macdonough Hall, at the United States Naval Academy, is home to the boxing, sprint football, water polo, and gymnastics programs, as well as housing a gymnasium, racquetball courts, a swimming pool, and recreational weight rooms for Midshipmen.
• There is a 135-foot-tall (41 m) obelisk that is located across from City Hall in Plattsburgh, N.Y. known as the Macdonough Monument which honors the victory of American soldiers and sailors in the Battle of Plattsburgh.
• Camano Island (formerly known as Macdonough Island), Washington. Charles Wilkes, during the Wilkes Expedition of 1838-1842, named the island in honor of Macdonough in tribute to his victory at the Battle of Plattsburgh (aka Battle of Lake Champlain) that ended the War of 1812.
• McDonough County, Illinois is named after Thomas Macdonough, its seat being Macomb.
• Two elementary schools, one in St. Georges, Delaware and one in Middletown, Connecticut are named in honor of Macdonough.
• MacDonough Street in the Stuyvesant Heights section of Brooklyn, New York is named after Thomas Macdonough. MacDonough Street runs parallel to Decatur Street, one block away, named after Stephen Decatur, with whom Macdonough served during the Barbary War.
• McDonough, the county seat of Henry County, Georgia, is named in honor of Macdonough