[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 5, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E755]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             IN RECOGNITION OF CAPTAIN JOHN NEWLAND MAFFITT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE McINTYRE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 5, 2010

  Mr. McINTYRE. Madam Speaker, it is with great honor and pleasure that 
I rise and ask you to join me in recognizing one of North Carolina's 
great historical figures, Captain John Newland Maffitt. Captain 
Maffitt, a longtime resident of Wilmington, North Carolina, stands out 
as a distinguished member of the United States Navy. First as a naval 
surveyor, charting much of the Atlantic coastline, and then as a 
blockade runner for the Confederate Navy, gallantly carrying out his 
duty to his homeland, Captain Maffitt deserves to be recognized among 
the ranks of this nation's outstanding military officers.
  Foreshadowing his great career, Captain Maffitt was born at sea on 
February 22, 1819. Adopted by his uncle, he grew up in and around 
Fayetteville, North Carolina, where he became known as a sharp-witted, 
cultivated young man. Under an appointment by President Jackson, 
Maffitt took the position of midshipman with the Navy in 1832, just 
three days after his thirteenth birthday, and immediately began his 
apprenticeship. After demonstrating courage and a devotion to his 
country and her Navy, Maffitt became an officer at the young age of 
nineteen.
  Sailing around many parts of the world, Captain Maffitt continued to 
gain valuable experience. In 1848, he took command of his first ship, 
the U.S.S. Gallatin, as a survey officer with the Coast Survey. For 
roughly a decade, Captain Maffitt, while commanding various ships, 
surveyed and charted many sections of the Atlantic coast, ranging from 
New England to the Southeast, resulting in honorable recognition from 
the Charleston Chamber of Commerce. The knowledge that he developed of 
these areas would later serve him well in his naval duties with the 
Confederacy.
  Captain Maffitt would eventually take command first of the U.S.S. 
Dolphin and then of the U.S.S. Crusader, leading his crew to intercept 
ships illegally participating in the Atlantic slave trade. Indeed, 
Maffitt was later recognized in the Wilmington Daily Journal on 
September 25th, 1863, which read, ``it is a curious fact, for those who 
maintain that the civil war in America is founded upon the slave 
question, that [Maffitt] should be the very man who has distinguished 
himself actively against the slave trade.''
  When Southern states began to secede, Captain Maffitt continued his 
duties and protected Federal property along the Southern coast. 
However, as the Civil War continued, Captain Maffitt's superiors grew 
concerned about his Southern background, which lead Maffitt to resign 
his command in 1861. Wishing to put his services to use, he eventually 
took command of the C.S.S. Savannah of the Confederate Navy as a runner 
transporting rifles, cotton, and other goods around the Federal 
blockade. His knowledge of the local rivers and waterways from his 
surveying days helped him to elude the Federal Navy and survive a 
number Federal encounters.
  Taking command of the C.S.S. Florida in 1862 with a new assignment, 
Captain Maffitt and his crew succeeded in capturing a larger number of 
Federal commercial ships over the next year. During this period, 
Maffitt's ship covered the seas ranging from Mobile to New York and 
from Brazil to France.
  After recovering from brief health issues, Captain Maffitt found more 
success blockade running as commander of first the C.S.S. Albemarle and 
then of the private ship Owl. He successfully completed his final 
assignment for the Confederacy even after the war had ended, thus 
maintaining his integrity and his sense of duty.
  Captain John Maffitt returned to North Carolina in 1868 and passed 
his remaining days peacefully at Bradley Creek, near Wrightsville 
Beach. He passed away on May 15, 1886, and was buried in Wilmington's 
Oakdale Cemetery. In his honor, on August 4th, 1943, The Liberty Ship 
John Newland Maffitt was christened at the North Carolina Shipbuilding 
Company to run blockades successfully, as had her namesake. Today, 
Captain Maffitt is also honored by a historical marker on Market Street 
in Wilmington.
  A sure leader of his time, Captain John Newland Maffitt serves as an 
example across generations by acting as a man of courage, a man of 
duty, and a man who was devoted to serving his homeland. So, today, 
Madam Speaker, I wish to thank you for allowing me to honor one of 
North Carolina's most distinguished naval officers, and I ask my 
colleagues to stand with me in recognizing a man North Carolina and the 
United States should be proud to call their own.

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