Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/147

 Mcdowell

British force on the Pacolet river, and compelled them to surrender. He was also victorious at Muscove Mill and Cave Creek. His army was disbanded in September, 1780, and he resigned his commission, but continued to aid the patriots by manufacturing powder with the help of his wife, and secretly carrying it to the army for use at the battle of King's Mountain, Oct. 7, 1780, where his brother Joseph commanded the North Carolina militia. He was a member of the state senate, 1782-88, and of the house of commons, 1809-11. He was married to Grace (Greenlee) Bowman, widow of Captain Bowman of the patriot army, who was killed at the battle of Ramseur's Mill. She was a nurse on the battlefield after the battle of King's Mountain, a brave defender of her home, and mother of a large family. Charles McDowell, died in Burke county, N.C., March 21, 1815.



MacDOWELL, Edward Alexander, composer, was born in New York city, Dec. 18, 1861; son of Thomas F. and Frances M. (Knapp) MacDowell and grandson of Alexander MacDowell and of Darius Knapp. He studied the piano under several masters and in 1876 went to Paris, France, where he continued his studies under Marmontel. He studied composition under Savard in Paris and Joachim Raff in Germany. He resided in Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany, 1879-81, and devoted himself to composition and teaching the piano in Wiesbaden, 1884-88; was a teacher of the piano in the Darmstadt conservatory, 1881-84, and in 1888 returned to America, settling in Boston as a teacher and concert pianist. He subsequently made several visits to Germany. He was appointed professor of music in Columbia university, N.Y., in 1896. He appeared frequently as soloist with the Boston Symphony orchestra and other well-known musical organizations. He was elected to the presidency of the Society of American Musicians and Composers, New York, in 1899, holding it one year, and was director of the Mendelssohn Glee club, 1896-98. Princeton university conferred upon him the honorary degree of Mus. Doc. in 1896. His compositions include several symphonic poems for orchestra, concertos for piano and orchestra, suites for orchestra including Indian Suite, and numerous notable songs and piano works, among the latter two suites and four sonatas.

McDowell, Ephralm, surgeon, was born in Rockbridge county, Va., Nov. 11, 1771; son of Samuel and Mary (McClung) McDowell and grandson of Ephraim McDowell, who, with his brothers James and John, emigrated from Ireland to Pennsylvania. Ephraim and John settled in Rockbridge county, Va., in 1737. He removed with his parents to Danville in 1783; attended a classical school at Georgetown, Va., and studied medicine under Dr. Humphreys of Staunton, Va., and at the University of Edinburgh, 1793-94. He practiced medicine and surgery in Danville, Va., 1785-1830. He was married in 1802 to Sallie, daughter of Governor Isaac Shelby of Kentucky. He was elected a member of the Medical Society of Philadelphia in 1817. The honorary degree of M.D. was conferred on him by the University of Maryland in 1825. He was the first surgeon successfully to perform the operation known as ovariotomy, and a description of his first cases was published in the Eclectic Repertory and Analytic Review, Philadelphia, 1817. His successful operations appeared incredible at the time, and he became known among the profession as the "father of ovariotomy." He was one of the founders of Centre college at Danville and an original trustee, 1819-23. In 1879 a monument to his memory was erected in McDowell Park by the State Medical society. He died in Danville, Ky., June 20, 1830.



McDowell, Irvin, soldier, was born in Franklin county, Ohio, Oct. 15, 1818; son of Abram and Eliza (Lord) McDowell. The McDowells, shortly after the siege of Londonderry, 1689, in which they took part, immigrated to America, locating first in Pennsylvania and then in the valley of Virginia, and members of the family removed thence to Kentucky about 1790, where Abram McDowell enlisted in the war of 1812, his uncle commanding a regiment of Kentucky volunteers, in which he served, and at the close of the war he removed to New Columbus, Ohio, and settled there. Irvin attended the college of Troyes, France, and was graduated from the U.S. Military academy in 1838. He served on frontier duty during the Canadian border disturbances in 1838; on the Maine frontier, 1838-41; was assistant instructor of infantry tactics of the U.S. Military academy in 1841, and was promoted 1st lieutenant, Oct. 7, 1842. He served in the war with Mexico