Edwin Maffitt Anderson
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Edwin Maffitt Anderson (August 6, 1843 – January 28, 1923) was a Confederate naval officer, serving on board the shipping raiders CSS ''Alabama'' and CSS ''Sumter'' as well as the master of the blockade runner CSS ''Owl'' during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
.


Biography

Born in
Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...
, Anderson entered the
Confederate Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...
in October 1861, enlisting as a
master's mate Master's mate is an obsolete rating which was used by the British Royal Navy, Royal Navy, United States Navy and merchant services in both countries for a senior petty officer who assisted the sailing master, master. Master's mates evolved into th ...
and being promoted within a month to
midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...
. Briefly serving under Captain
Raphael Semmes Raphael Semmes ( ; September 27, 1809 – August 30, 1877) was an officer in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. He had served as an officer in the United States Navy from 1826 to 1860. During the American Civil War, Semmes was c ...
aboard the CSS ''Savannah'', he was sent across the Atlantic and, in August 1862, joined the ''Alabama'' in the
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just before its official commission and would remain aboard the commerce raider throughout its entire career. Wounded during the battle with the USS ''Kearsarge'' on June 19, 1864, in which the ''Alabama'' was sunk, Anderson was rescued by the ''Deerhound'', a British
yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...
, and taken to England. On his return to the Confederacy, he encountered the blockade runner CSS ''Owl'' and agreed to join its crew as an acting master and, by the end of the war, had won promotion to lieutenant. Anderson would later reside in his hometown Savannah, Georgia, where he lived until his death on January 28, 1923.


References

*Linedecker, Clifford L., ed. ''Civil War, A-Z: The Complete Handbook of America's Bloodiest Conflict''. New York: Ballantine Books, 2002. 1843 births 1923 deaths Military personnel from Savannah, Georgia Confederate States Navy officers People of Georgia (U.S. state) in the American Civil War {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub