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John Newland Maffitt (privateer)

John Newland Maffitt
JohnNewlandMaffittCSN.jpg
Commander John Newland Maffitt, CSN
Nickname(s) "Prince of Privateers"
Born (1819-02-22)February 22, 1819
at sea
Died May 15, 1886(1886-05-15) (aged 67)
Wilmington, North Carolina
Allegiance  United States of America
 Confederate States of America
Service/branch United States Navy
 Confederate States Navy
Years of service USN 1832-1861
CSN 1861-1865
Rank USN com rank insignia.jpg Commander (USN)
Csn strap cmdr.png Commander (CSN)
Battles/wars American Civil War

John Newland Maffitt (February 22, 1819 – May 15, 1886) was an officer in the Confederate States Navy who was nicknamed the "Prince of Privateers" due to his remarkable success as a blockade runner and commerce raider in the U.S. Civil War.

Maffitt was born at sea on a ship bound for New York City, his parents having emigrated from Ireland. Maffitt's parents, Reverend John Newland Maffitt and his wife Ann Carnicke, settled with their son in Connecticut. When Maffitt was about five years old, he was adopted by his uncle, Dr. William Maffitt who traveled across the Atlantic Ocean with them, and moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina to live at the Ellerslie Plantation.

Maffitt entered the United States Navy as a midshipman in February 1832, at the age of thirteen. He first served aboard USS St. Louis in the West Indies, and was later assigned to the Pensacola Navy Yard. In 1835 he was assigned to USS Constitution, serving as an aide to Commodore Jesse Elliott in the Mediterranean; his service aboard Constitution would later become the basis for a novel, Nautilus; or, Cruising under Canvas, published in 1871. He also served on the frigate USS Macedonian, becoming its acting Master in 1841.


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