Overview
Major General Alexander McDougall was born in 1732 in New York. McDougall displayed early signs of Revolutionary leadership and joined the Sons of Liberty, a secret organization dedicated to opposing British rule. As tensions escalated, he played a significant role in organizing the city’s resistance to British authority.
During the war, the Continental Congress appointed McDougall as a major general in the Continental Army. He participated in several pivotal battles. McDougall also served as a trusted advisor to General George Washington and played a crucial role in the military’s administration and organization.
Memoirs and Papers
Guide to Alexander McDougall papers in the Biographical Directory of the US Congress, Alexander McDougall, 1731-1786, Guide to Research Collections which include manuscripts at the New York Historical Society, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Huntington Library, The Library of Congress, The Morgan Library, The New York State Library, The Rosenbach Museum and Library and the Yale University Library.
Biographies
Champagne, Roger J. Alexander McDougall and the American Revolution in New York. Schenectady, NY: Union College Press, 1975.
MacDougall, William L. American Revolutionary: A Biography of General Alexander McDougall. Contributions in American History, no. 57. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1977.
Portraits
Researching the American Revolution 