Like Perry, Macdonough fought his own ship, giving no attention during a long period to the others of his squadron, after the battle began; with his own hands he worked a gun, and with perfect skill. His ship, like Perry’s, received the concentrated fire of the enemy and bore the greatest part of the loss. The winding of his ship at the supreme moment of the battle was a move like, in a way, that of Perry in going to the _Niagara_, and it was a move that, like Perry’s, won the day that had there-to-fore been disastrous to the Yankee fleet. In short with a tremendous responsibility thrust suddenly upon them, these two young men did so well, each in his own circumstances, that their actions have ever since been held up for the admiration as well as instruction of the officers that have come after them. The Battles of Lake Erie and Champlain were fought when the nation’s navy was young and ambitious, but let not even the most optimistic patriot abate one jot of his confidence in the men who now stand erect and uncover their heads whenever they see the old flag hoisted to the peak. For in every class that graduates at Annapolis there are Macdonoughs and Perrys and Hulls and Bainbridges and Porters and Nicholas Biddles and John Paul Joneses. One history of the War of 1812 says that Macdonough hoisted, just as the British squadron appeared, a signal reading, “Impressed seamen call on every man to do his duty.” Whether this was done or not, the adventure of Macdonough in protecting an American seaman from impressment at Gibraltar, in 1806, must be told to show still further the character of the man. Macdonough was first lieutenant (though but twenty years old) of the Yankee brig _Siren_. One day while the _Siren’s_ captain was on shore, a Yankee merchantman came into the port and anchored near the _Siren_. Scarcely was her anchor down when a boat put off from a British frigate near by, went directly to the Yankee merchantman, and in a few minutes pulled away again, having one more man in it than when it left the frigate. Macdonough noted this fact, and sent Lieutenant Page to the merchantman to see what had happened. Page returned with the information that the British had impressed one of the crew of the Yankee merchantman. On hearing that Macdonough instantly ordered the _Siren’s_ gig away, manned with armed men, and getting into it himself, he pulled after the frigate’s boat, overtook it right alongside the frigate, and although the frigate’s boat had eight oars to Macdonough’s four, he took out of it by force the impressed seaman and carried him to the _Siren_.