British soldier who won the rare distinction of rising from the ranks to major general. The son of a crofter-mason, he enlisted as a private in the Gordon Highlanders at the age of 18. In 1879 Macdonald took part in the Second Afghan War, where he gained a reputation for resourcefulness and daring. By the end of the campaign, he was nicknamed “Fighting Mac” and promoted to second lieutenant. Returning to Britain by way of southern Africa, he saw action in the First Boer War (1880–81). At the Battle of Majuba Hill (Feb. 27, 1881) he was conspicuously courageous.

From 1883 to 1898, Macdonald served in Egypt and the Sudan, taking part in the Nile expedition (1885) as a member of the Egyptian constabulary. Transferring to the Egyptian army as captain in 1888, he demonstrated an extraordinary talent for command during the Sudanese campaign (1888–91). When Kitchener (Kitchener, Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl) undertook the reconquest of the Sudan in 1896, he placed Macdonald in command of an Egyptian brigade, which he handled so outstandingly at the critical Battle of Omdurman (Sept. 2, 1898) that he became a national hero and was given the thanks of Parliament. As a major general commanding the Highland Brigade in the South African War (1899–1902), “Fighting Mac” contributed much to Boer defeats at Paardeberg and Brandwater. In 1902 he was given charge of the troops in Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka). Confronted by an “opprobrious accusation” (apparently a charge of homosexual practices), he shot himself.