The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

John Newland Maffitt

Today's Civil War Interactive Newswire had a This Date in History on a Union newspaper reporter's take on Confederate Lt. John Newland Maffitt, commander of the raider CSS Florida, while it was in Havana Harbor.

The Headline was:
Confederate Commander Causes Correspondent Crabbiness

Tuesday, January 20, 1863

After an interview with Maffitt, the correspondent wrote:

"Captain Maffitt is no ordinary character. He is vigorous, energetic, bold, quick and dashing, and the sooner he is caught and hung the better it will be for the interests of our commercial community.

"Nobody, unless informed, would have imagined the small, black-eyed, poetic-looking gentleman, with his romantic appearance, to be a second Semmes, probably in time to be a more celebrated and more dangerous pirate."

If I were Maffitt, I don't think I'd talk with this guy any more. But, being compared to Rafael Semmes is quite an honor.

Wilmington's Pride and Joy. --Old B-Runner

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