William Lewis Maury was born in Virginia, the son of William Grymes Maury and Ann Hoomes Woolfolk, and became a
midshipman in the United States Navy in 1829. Maury served in the
United States Naval Observatory under his cousin, superintendent
Matthew Fontaine Maury; in charting the seas, cartography, and in recording astronomical observations. In the famed
United States Exploring Expedition then Lieutenant 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 the American Civil War began he resigned his commission and joined the Confederate States Navy. He was initially assigned to a coastal 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
CSS 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==