JOHN M‘DOUGALL (b), Esq.
[Commander.]
A son of the late Patrick M‘Dougall, Esq. of Dunolly Castle, in the county of Argyle, by Louisa, youngest daughter of John Campbell, Esq. of Ashalader, a well known classical scholar, and sister to the late Generals Sir Alexander Campbell, commander-in-chief at Madras, and Archibald Campbell, governor of Fort Augustus, North Britain. His father’s family are the undisputed lineal representatives of M‘Dougall, Lord of Lorn, or of Argyle, and are the admitted chiefs of that sirname.
This officer was born at Edinburgh, in 1791; and entered the navy in Dec. 1802, as midshipman on board the Cruiser sloop. Captain John Hancock. In the course of the following year, he was five times in action with the enemy, between Calais and Flushing. In 1804, he was removed to the Doris 36, Captain Patrick Campbell, which ship, after being repeatedly engaged with land batteries, and capturing two French gun-vessels, was set on fire and abandoned near the mouth of the Loire, Jan. 15th, 1805, in consequence of having struck upon a sunken rock, in the vicinity of Quiberon, and sustained so much damage as to render it impossible to save her.
After this disaster, Mr. M‘Dougall joined the Hero 74, Captain the Hon. Alan Gardner, under whom he served in Sir Robert Calder’s action with the combined fleets of France and Spain, July 22d, 1805.
On the 18th Oct. 1806, Mr. M‘Dougall, then belonging to l’Unité frigate. Captain P. Campbell, stationed in the Adriatic, commanded one of that ship’s boats in an attack upon five vessels under a battery, near the town of Omago. Ten days afterwards, he assisted in storming a battery, and capturing several sail of merchantmen near Point Salvooy. On the 28th April 1807, he was present at the reduction of the island of St. Piedro de Niembo. On the 12th June following, he commanded a division of boats at the capture of several vessels in the river Po, and the destruction of three signal posts. On the 12th Jan. 1808, he participated in a successful attack
