Thomas Mower McDougall – Major, United States Army

In the hilltop fight at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

Born May 21, 1845 in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, the son of Brevet Brigadier General Charles McDougall, Army Medical Corps. He entered service from Kansas and served in the Civil War. At the age of 18 he was appointed Second Lieutenant in the 10th Louisiana Volunteers of African Descent (on February 18, 1864, to rank from January 22, 1864). The 10th Louisiana Volunteers were redesigned as the 48th US Colored Infantry. At the battle of Lakeville, Mississippi, he was severely wounded. He served with General Grant at the siege of Vicksburg in 1863, and was honorably mustered out of volunteer service on June 1, 1865, at Benton Barracks, Missouri. On June 2, 1865, he was commissioned a Captain, Company G, 5th US Volunteer Infantry and was mustered out of volunteer service on August 10, 1865 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

From civil life he was offered a commission as Second Lieutenant, 14th US Infantry, May 10, 1866. He accepted the commission on July 21, 1866, at Fort Laramie. On September 21, 1866, he was transferred to the 32nd US Infantry and received promotion to First Lieutenant to rank from January 14, 1867. During the reorganization of the Army he was transferred to the 21st US Infantry on April 19, 1869, and was unassigned on October 21, 1869. He was assigned to the 7th US Cavalry on December 30, 1870, and was stationed in South Carolina during the Ku Klux Klan troubles in that state.

For 18 years he was stationed in the Dakotas and was engaged in some notable Indian campaigns. Promoted to Captain on December 15, 1875. On May 17, 1876, he departed from Fort Abraham Lincoln, Dakota Territory, with the the 7th Cavalry to participate in the expedition against hostile Indians. On the march on June 25, 1876 to the Little Big Horn River, he was in command of Company B, the pack train escort, and he was engaged with Major Reno’s battalion in the hilltop fight. He remained in the 7th Cavalry until he was retired for disability in the line of duty on July 22, 1890.

For his Civil War service, he was promoted to Major of Cavalry (Retired) on May 24, 1904, to rank from April 23, 1904.

He died July 3, 1909 at Brandon, Vermont. Funeral services were held in the Dahlgreen Chapel of the Sacred Heart, Georgetown University, on July 7, 1909, and he was interred in National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, in Section 1, Grave 412-B.

He was survived by his 2 sisters, Mrs. Josephine McDougall Buel, and Mrs. Edwin B. Babbitt.

MC DOUGALL, THOS M

• MAJOR RETD USA RET
• VETERAN SERVICE DATES: Unknown
• DATE OF DEATH: 07/03/1909
• DATE OF INTERMENT: Unknown
• BURIED AT: SECTION W DIV  SITE 112B
  ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

MC DOUGALL, ALICE WID/O THOMAS M

• DATE OF DEATH: 03/08/1920
• DATE OF INTERMENT: Unknown
• BURIED AT: SECTION WE  SITE 112B
  ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
• WIFE OF TM MCDOUGALL CAPT USA RET

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard