William Lewis Maury

William Lewis Maury (1813 – November 27, 1878) was born in Virginia, the son of William Grymes Maury and Ann Hoomes Woolfolk, and became a midshipman in 1829. His career as a midshipman and lieutenant was marked by his service in the United States Exploring Expedition.

He was an American explorer and naval officer who served in the United States Navy for over 32 years, then resigned to take an officer's commission in the Confederate States Navy. Wm Maury assisted Charles Wilkes' exploration of the Pacific Ocean and served as a lieutenant in Matthew C. Perry's 1854 naval mission to Japan.

Legacy

As a member of Wilkes' expedition, the Maury name was applied to a discovered feature of Puget Sound, Maury Island. In the 20th century, an ice-filled bay east of Cape Lewis, Antarctica, Maury Bay, was named after this explorer.

Career

William L. Maury served in the United States Naval Observatory, U. S. Navy under his cousin, superintendent Matthew Fontaine Maury, in charting the seas, cartography, and in recording astronomical observations.

In the famed The United States Exploring Expedition then Lieutenant W. L. Maury served under Charles Wilkes from 1838-1842. He served on the ships Vincennes; joined the Peacock at Orange Bay, and the Porpoise at Callao.

It was during the Exploring Expedition's survey of Puget Sound that Commodore Wilkes named Maury Island after William Lewis Maury. Maury continued in Navy service serving on the Navy Efficiency Board. In 1860 he served as a member of the Japanese Treaty Commission.

When war came he served in the Confederate States Navy. He was initially assigned to a coast defense battery at Sewell's Point, Virginia. His talent for coastline defense was recognized early on and he was reassigned to the Confederate Torpedo Service. Serving first at Wilmington Station and Charlotte, North Carolina, he was soon transferred to Charleston Station. Later, as Commander of the ship, C.S.S. Georgia, a commerce raider, he captured and sank several ships carrying war materials while letting others with commerce not for war go free.

Basic Pedigree for William Lewis Maury

1. Abraham Maury m. Marie Fourquuereau
2. Matthew Maury b.18 Sept. 1696, Gascony, France m. Mary Anne Fontaine
3. Rev James Maury m. Mary Walker
4. Walker Maury m. Mary Stith Grymes
5. William Grymes Maury m. Anne Holmes Woolfork
6. William Lewis Maury m. Anne Fontaine Maury, 1832-1890 (www.findagrave.com)

William Lewis Maury was a Lieut U. S. N. (20 years) and Capt. C. S. N. (4 years)

Sources

Recollections of a Rebel Reefer (1917 book) about Captain William Lewis Maury commanding C.S.S. Georgia commerce raider with their actions in detail. This book tells a large part of William Lewis Maury's life in the Confederacy. Others are included such as Matthew Fontaine Maury as an agent purchasing ships with James Dunwoody Bulloch. Book by former midshipman, C.S.N. on C.S.S. Georgia include Midshipman James Morris Morgan, is on Wikisource as well as Internet Archives [1] and "Documenting the American South" [2]