REVOLUTION. Alexander MacDougall (1731-86), born in Islay, successively Colonel, Brigadier-General, and Major-General in the Revolutionary War, and later Delegate to the Continental Congress in 1780 and 1784, was described by Washington as "a brave soldier and distinguished patriot." Before the outbreak of the war he was a successful merchant, a leader of the "Sons of Liberty," and was the first American imprisoned for his utterances in behalf of independence. Macdougal Street, New York city, commemorates his name. Robert Erskine (1735-1780), geographer and Chief of Engineers on the staff of Washington, was a son of Rev. Ralph Erskine of Dunfermline. Washington erected a stone over his grave at Ringwood, New Jersey. Henry Knox (1750-1806), General of Artillery and Secretary of War (1785-95). Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Clough Anderson (1750-1826) was grandson of a Scottish emigrant. General James Ewing (c. 1736-1806), of Ulster Scot descent, served in Braddock's campaign and also during the Revolution. General William Wirt Henry was descended from an Ulster Scot who came between 1718 and 1722 to Massachusetts. General Richard Montgomery (1736-75), a descendant of the Montgomeries of Ayrshire, was killed while leading the attack on Quebec; and Major John Macpherson (1754-75), of Scots parentage, killed beside Montgomery, was the first soldier of prominence from Pennsylvania to be killed in the war. Bancroft calls him "the pure-minded, youthful enthusiast for liberty." Colonel Allan McLane (1746-1829), of Scottish origin, repeatedly referred to in Dr. Weir Mitchell's "Hugh Wynne," was one of the "Rough Riders" who patrolled the country around Philadelphia to prevent provisions reaching the British troops in the city. His flight and escape from the British in one of these raids was the subject of a painting by James Peale. General Hugh Mercer (c. 1725-1777), born in Aberdeen, died of wounds received at the battle of Princeton, also served with distinction in the Braddock and Forbes campaigns in western Pennsylvania. His life was a strenuous one, full of exacting and unselfish work for others, and as Judge Goolrick says in his "Life of Mercer," he "is entitled to the gratitude of all liberty-loving America." Mercer county, New Jersey, was named in his honor. John Armstrong (1725-95), born in the North of Ireland of Scottish ancestry, served in the French and Indian War (1755-56), was Brigadier-General in the Continental Army (1776-77), and Delegate to the Continental Congress (1778-80, 1787-88). Colonel James Livingston (1747-1832), by his timely shot drove the British warship "Vulture" from her anchorage in the North River "thus securing the capture of André, effecting the discomfiture of Arnold's treason, and assuring the safety of West Point, the key of the Revolution." James Chrystie (1750-1807), born in or near Edinburgh, joined the Revolutionary Army and served with high reputation till the end of the war. On the discovery of Arnold's plot at West Point he was entrusted with a delicate mission by Washington, which he executed successfully. His son, Lieutenant-Colonel James Chrystie, earned a name for himself at the Battle of Queenstown in the war of 1812. William Davidson (1746-1781), born in Pennsylvania of Scottish parentage or descent, was a Brigadier-General in the Revolutionary Army, and was killed in the fight at the ford over Catawba River, January 31, 1781. Congress voted five hundred dollars for a monument to his memory, and Davidson College, North Carolina, is named in his honor. General William Macpherson (1756-1813), born in Philadelphia of Scottish parents, was in the British service at the time of the Revolution, but resigned and joined the colonies, and served faithfully under Washington. Major Robert Kirkwood was killed in the battle against the Miami Indians in 1792, the thirty-third time he had risked his life for his country. Lachlan McIntosh (1727-1806), of the family of MacIntosh of Borlum, was born in Badenoch, Inverness-shire, and came to America with his father who settled in Georgia. He volunteered his services on the outbreak of the Revolution, becoming General in 1776. He was second in command at Savannah and took part in the defence of Charleston. McIntosh county, Georgia, is named after his family, "whose members have illustrated the state, in both field and forum, since the days of Oglethorpe." William Moultrie (1731-1805), born in England or South Carolina, son of the Scottish physician, Dr. John Moultrie, ancestor of the Moultries of South Carolina, repulsed the attack on Sullivan's Island in 1776 and defended Charleston in 1779. Fort Moultrie was named in his honor. Andrew Pickens (1739-1817), of Scottish parentage, was noted as a partizan commander in South Carolina (1779-81), served with distinction at Cowpens in 1781, and captured Atlanta, Georgia, in the same year. Pickens county, Georgia, bears his name. John Stark (1728-1822), one of the most noted Generals of the Revolution, serving with distinction in several campaigns, was a member of the Court Martial which condemned Major André. Arthur St. Clair (1734-1818), born at Thurso, Caithness, took part in many battles of the Revolution, was President of Congress in 1787, and Governor of the Northwest Territory (1789-1802). William Alexander (1726-83), titular Lord Stirling, born in Albany of Scottish parentage, commanded a Brigade at the Battle of Long Island, and also served at Trenton, Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth. John Paterson (1744-1808), grandson of a Dumfriesshire emigrant, took part in many battles of the Revolution, commissioned Major-General in 1783, the youngest one of that rank in the army, and was one of the organizers of the Society of Cincinnati. General Daniel Stewart was another patriot of the Revolution. A county in Georgia is named in his honor.
MEXICAN WAR. Winfield Scott (1786-1866), grandson of a Scot who fought at Culloden, was born in Virginia, and entered the army in 1808. He served with great ability in the War of 1812, later became Major-General and Commander-in-Chief of the Army in 1841. During the war with Mexico he held chief command of the Army, and became Lieutenant-General in 1847. John Munroe (c. 1796-1861), born in Ross-shire, entered the United States Army, saw service against the Florida Indians, became Chief of Artillery under General Zachary Taylor in the Mexican War, and was subsequently Military and Civil Governor of New Mexico (1849-50). James Bowie (1795-1836), of Scottish descent and of "Bowie-knife" celebrity, took part in the Texan Revolution and was killed at the Alamo in 1836. Bowie county and the town of Bowie in Montague county, Texas, perpetuate his name. The Bowies were a prominent family in Maryland, occupying high positions in politics, jurisprudence, and society.
CIVIL WAR. General David Bell Birney (1825-64), son of James Gillespie Birney, served with distinction in the Army of the Potomac. General Ambrose Everett Burnside (1824-81), later Governor of Rhode Island (1867-69), and United States Senator (1875-81), was grandson of a Scot who emigrated to South Carolina at end of the eighteenth century. Samuel Wylie Crawford (1829-92), of Scottish ancestry, was brevetted Major-General of Volunteers for conspicuous gallantry, and wrote "Genesis of the Civil War" (1887). Major-General Thomas Ewing (1829-96), was descendant of Thomas Ewing who emigrated to New Jersey in 1715. James Lorraine Geddes (1829-87), born in Edinburgh, brevetted Brigadier-General for his services, was also a poet, and wrote "The Soldier's Battle Prayer," "The Stars and Stripes," etc. John Brown Gordon (1832-1904), Lieutenant-General in the Confederate Army and later Governor of Georgia, was descendant of John George Gordon and his wife Mary Chapman, emigrants from Scotland. General Charles Smith Hamilton (1822-96), of Scottish descent, also served with distinction in the Mexican War. General Grant ascribed the success of the repulse at Corinth to him. Thomas Jonathan Jackson (1824-63), "Stonewall Jackson," the noted Confederate General, was of Ulster Scot descent. John Alexander Logan (1826-86), of Ulster Scot parentage, was later unsuccessful candidate for the Vice-Presidency in 1884, United States Senator (1871-77, 1879-86), and author of "The Great Conflict" (1866). Major-General Robert McAllister (1813-91), great-grandson of Archibald McAllister from Scotland, 1732. Charles Lafayette McArthur (1824-98), soldier, politician, and journalist, was of Scots parentage. General Arthur McArthur (1845-1912), of Scots parentage, son of Arthur McArthur the Jurist, later served in the Philippines, became in 1906 Lieutenant-General, being the twelfth officer in the history of the Army to attain that rank. Described as "our best read and best informed soldier." His son, Douglas, served with distinction in the Great War. John McArthur, born in Erskine, Scotland, in 1826, emigrated to United States in 1849, was brevetted Major-General for gallantry. General George Archibald McCall (1802-68), served in the Florida and Mexican Wars, and also rendered distinguished service in the Civil War. Daniel Craig McCallum (1815-78), born in Renfrewshire, Superintendent of the Erie Railroad (1855-56), was Director of Military Roads in the United States (1862-65), and became Major-General in 1866. "He introduced the inflexible arched truss, which has probably been in more general use in the United States than any other system of timber bridges." The McCooks, of Scottish descent, two Ohio families with a remarkable military record, often distinguished as the "Tribe of Dan" and "Tribe of John" from their respective heads—two brothers, Major Daniel and Dr. John McCook. All the sons, fourteen in number, served either in the Army or Navy, and all but one were commanding officers. Clinton Dugald McDougal (b. 1839), Major-General and later Member of Congress (1872-77), was born in Scotland. Irvin McDowell (1818-85), served in the Mexican War, in the Civil War had command of the Army of the Potomac, Major-General in 1872, was descendant of emigrant from Londonderry shortly after the siege in which his ancestor took part. General John Bankhead Magruder (1810-71) and Commander George Magruder of the Confederate Army were said to be "direct descendants of the illustrious Rob Roy McGregor." Alexander Mackenzie (b. 1844), Chief of Engineers, was of Scots parentage. David McMurtrie Gregg (b. 1833), served with distinction in battles of the Wilderness, and was afterwards Auditor-General of Pennsylvania. John McNeil (1813-91), Brigadier-General, was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, of Scots parentage. General James Birdseye Macpherson (1828-64), of Ulster Scot descent, took a most prominent part in many battles. General Grant said at his death: "The country has lost one of its best soldiers, and I have lost my best friend." William Macrae (1834-82), of Scottish descent, Brigadier-General in the Confederate Army was afterwards General Superintendent of the Wilmington and Manchester Railroad. William Addison Phillips (1824-93), soldier, statesman, and author, born in Paisley, refused to leave his command to accept the nomination for Governor of his state (Kansas). He was author of "Labor, Land, and Law" (1886). John Robertson (1814-87), born in Banffshire, was Adjutant-General of Michigan from 1861 to 1887. He was author of "The Flags of Michigan," "Michigan in the War," etc. James Alexander Walker (1832-1901), descendant of John Walker who came from Wigtown (c. 1730), was also Member of Congress (1895-99) and Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (1877).
SCOTS IN THE NAVY
John Paul Jones (1747-92), perhaps the most famous Scottish name in the annals of the American Navy, was the son of a Scottish gardener, and was born at Kirkbean, Kirkcudbrightshire. The details of his naval career are so well known that there is little use of repeating them here. James Craig (1735-1800), a Scot, Was appointed by Congress a Commissioner of naval stores in 1776. He was owner of a number of armed privateering vessels, took several prizes, and also aided in fitting out several other vessels as privateers. The Nicholson family, of Scottish parentage, was famous in the naval annals of the United States for three generations, from the Revolution to the Civil War. Alexander Murray (1755-1821), grandson of a Scot, took an active part in the naval battles of the Revolution and commanded a squadron against the Barbary pirates in 1820. John Rodgers (1771-1838), of Scottish parentage, had a distinguished part in the war against Tripoli, the government of which he compelled to sign a treaty abolishing slavery of Christians and the levying of tribute on European powers. In the war of 1812 he fired the first gun, June 23, 1812, at the British frigate "Belvidere." He was afterwards offered, but declined, the office of Secretary of the Navy. George Campbell Read (c. 1788-1862), Admiral, of Ulster Scot descent, took part in the fight between the "Constitution" and "Guerrière" in 1812. Isaac McKeever (1794-1856), Commodore and Commandant of the Navy Yard at Portsmouth, Virginia, was of Scottish parentage. John Berrien Montgomery (1794-1873), descended from William Montgomery of Bridgend, Ayrshire (1701), served in the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and while too old for active service in the Civil War, was in charge of Boston Navy Yard, then one of the most important supply stations of the navy. Rear Admiral Andrew Bryson (1822-1892), of Scottish descent, took part in Civil War, and retired after forty-three years' continuous service. John McIntosh Kell (1823-1900), Executive Officer of the Confederate Cruiser "Alabama" and author of "Cruise and Combats of the 'Alabama'" was of Scottish origin. Rear Admiral Alexander Colden Rhind (1821-97), who served in the Mexican and Civil Wars, was also of Scottish descent. William Penn McCann (1830-1906), a descendant of John McKeand, a native of Whithorn, Wigtownshire, who settled here before the Revolution, was called "Father of the White Squadron" from his having the warships painted white. Francis Munroe Ramsay (1835-1914), Rear Admiral and Chief of the Bureau of Navigation (1889), Member of the Court of Inquiry which investigated the conduct of Rear Admiral Schley during the war with Spain, was a grandson of Patrick Ramsay who came from Scotland, c. 1750. Frederick Vallete McNair (1839-1900), Superintendent of the Naval Academy at Annapolis, was descended from Samuel McNair (1732). Rear Admiral George Wallace Melville (1841-1912), who saw considerable service in the Civil War and later achieved world wide fame as an Arctic explorer, was the grandson of a Scot from Stirling; and Admiral John Donaldson Ford (1840-1917), who fought in the Civil War and took a prominent part in the capture of Manila and destruction of the batteries at Cavite during the Spanish-American War, was of Scottish parentage.
SCOTS AS SCIENTISTS
Alexander Wilson (1766-1813), born in Paisley, the first naturalist to study American birds in their native haunts, and author of "American Ornithology" (1803-13), was also distinguished as a poet. David Hosack (1769-1835), one of the most distinguished surgeons and scientists of his day, fourth President of the New York Historical Society, was son of a native of Morayshire. Samuel Guthrie (1782-1848), physician and chemist, was descendant of John Guthrie, who came to America in 1661. He was one of the pioneers who introduced vaccination, produced the first successful percussion powder (after many experiments), invented the "punch lock" which superseded the flint-lock musket, and, in 1831, discovered the anæsthetic chloroform. Hugh Williamson (1735-1819), statesman and scientist, born in Pennsylvania and educated in Edinburgh. He studied theology and was licensed but never preached, was Professor of Mathematics in the College of Philadelphia (1760-63), studied medicine in Edinburgh and Utrecht, practised successfully, served as surgeon in the Revolutionary War, delegate to the Convention that framed the Constitution of the United States (1787), and was afterwards Member of the first Congress. John McLean (1771-1814), born in Glasgow, became Professor of Chemistry in Princeton (1775) and later Professor of Natural Philosophy and Chemistry in William and Mary College, Williamsburg, Virginia. His son, John, became President of Princeton. Dr. William Watson (d. 1828), a Scot, was physician and friend of Chancellor Livingston, and one of the early promoters of scientific agriculture in America. He was founder of the Farmers' Club of Dutchess and Columbia Counties, the pioneer of Agricultural Societies in New York. James Renwick (1790-1862), born in Liverpool of Scottish parents, was Professor of Physics in Columbia University, author of several scientific works, and one of the Commissioners who laid out the early boundary line of the Province of New Brunswick. His mother was the Jeannie Jaffray of several of Burns's poems. James Renwick, the architect, was his son. Other gifted sons were Edward Sabine Renwick and Henry Brevoort Renwick. Joseph Henry (1797-1878), the "Nestor of American Science," and organizer of the American Academy of Sciences otherwise the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, was of Scottish' origin. His paternal and maternal grandparents emigrated from Scotland together and are said to have landed the day before the Battle of Bunker Hill. The McAllisters of Philadelphia (father and son) were famous as makers of optical and mathematical instruments, and the son was the first to study and fit astigmatic lenses, and was also the introducer of the system of numbering buildings according to the numbers of the streets, assigning one hundred numbers to each block. Spencer Fullerton Baird (1823-87), Naturalist and Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, was also of Scottish origin. His works, including scientific papers, number over one thousand titles. Carlile Pollock Patterson (1816-81) did much to develop the United States Coast Survey. William Paterson Turnbull (1830-71), ornithologist, author of the "Birds of East Pennsylvania and New Jersey," a model of patient and accurate research, was born at Fala, near Edinburgh. Edward Duncan Montgomery, biologist and philosopher, was born in Edinburgh in 1835. Marshall MacDonald (1835-95), ichthyologist, pisciculturist, and inventor, engineer in charge of the siege of Vicksburg during the Civil War, and inventor of automatic hatching jars, was the grandson of a Scottish immigrant. Peter Smith Michie (1839-1901), soldier and scientist, born in Brechin, Forfarshire, graduated from West Point in 1863, served as Engineer in the Federal Army, and was afterwards Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy at West Point. William Healey Dall (b. 1845), palæontologist to the United States Geological Survey, author of "Alaska and Its Resources," and author of hundreds of articles on Natural History subjects, was a grandson of William Dall of Forfarshire. Thomas Harrison Montgomery (1873-1912), specialist in zoology and embryology, was of Scottish origin. Robert Gibson Eccles, physician and chemist, born in Kilmaurs, Ayrshire, in 1848, discovered that benzoic acid and the benzoates are excellent preservatives of food. He has been Chemist of the Department of Indian Affairs, Professor of Chemistry in the New York School of Social Economics, President of the New York Pharmaceutical Association, etc., and has written largely on philosophy and science. Stephen Alfred Forbes (b. 1844), naturalist, educator, and writer on entomology and zoology, is of Scottish origin. Thomas Craig (1853-1900), Mathematician and Editor of the American Journal of Mathematics, was of Scottish parentage. Alexander Crombie Humphreys, born in Edinburgh in 1851, became President of Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, in 1902. Anstruther Davidson, born in Caithness in 1860, Associate Professor of Dermatology in the University of Southern California, is also distinguished as a botanist and entomologist.
William Maclure (1763-1840), the "Father of American Geology," was born in Ayr, Scotland, and after acquiring a fortune in London, he came in 1796 to the United States. Having studied geology in Europe he was attracted by the imposing scale of the geological structure of his adopted country, and in the course of some years made many journeys across the eastern states. He recorded his geological observations on a map, and in 1809 communicated his researches to the American Philosophical Society. In 1817, having extended his knowledge during the intervening eight years he presented his map to the Society, and it was then published. This was the first geological survey of the United States, and it was carried out unsustained by government aid or patronage. It was also chiefly through Maclure's aid that the new Academy of Sciences in Philadelphia was built and endowed. Dr. Archibald Bruce (1777-1818), the first scientific mineralogist in America, and founder of the American Mineralogical Magazine (1810), was born in New York city, son of Dr. William Bruce, head of the medical department of the British Armies. Henry Darwin Rogers (1808-66), born in Philadelphia of Ulster Scot parentage, Professor of Geology and Mineralogy in the University of Pennsylvania, State Geologist of Pennsylvania, published important works on the geology of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He removed to Edinburgh in 1855 and three years later became Professor of Natural History in the University of Glasgow. His elder brother, William Barton Rogers (1804-1882), was also a distinguished physicist and geologist. David Dale Owen (1807-60), born in Lanarkshire, was brought to the United States by his father in 1823. In 1848 he took charge of the Geological Survey of Wisconsin and Iowa, and that of Minnesota in 1852. His brother, Richard Owen (1810-90), also born in Lanarkshire, had a distinguished career in this country as a geologist. J. Peter Lesley (1819-1903), also of Scottish descent, was another distinguished geologist who by his researches and surveys in Pennsylvania, vastly aided in the economic development of that state. Persifor Frazer (1844-1909), son of John Fries Frazer and great-grandson of Lieutenant-Colonel Persifor Frazer of Revolutionary times, was author of the Geological Survey of Pennsylvania (5 vols.) William John McGee (1853-1912), geologist and anthropologist, claimed descent from the MacGregors. He was Geologist of the United States Geological Survey from 1883 to 1893, Ethnologist in Charge of the Bureau of Ethnology from 1893 to 1903, and in 1907 was appointed a Member of the Inland Waterways Commission. Washington Carruthers Kerr (1827-85), educator and scientist of Ulster Scot parentage, was State Geologist of North Carolina (1866-82), and published many papers and reports on his subject. John Muir (1838-1914), geologist, explorer, naturalist, and author, was born in Dunbar. "No man since Thoreau ever had keener sympathy with nature, a quicker vision for her mysteries, or a surer speech for their interpretation." The establishment of the Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks and the great Sierra Forest Reservation are due to his writings. The famous Muir Glacier in Alaska, discovered by him in 1879, will forever blazon his name. Other distinguished geologists who may be briefly mentioned are: Samuel Calvin (1840-1911), Professor of Geology in the University of Iowa, born in Wigtownshire; John James Stevenson (b. 1841), educator and geologist, of Scottish parentage; Erwin Hinckly Barbour (b. 1856), professor of Geology in the University of Nebraska; and William Berryman Scott (b. 1858), the distinguished geologist and palæontologist of Princeton University.