MMPAGE2

Matthew arrived in Virginia, welcomed by his relatives from which his family had parted fifteen years ago. These were the people whom Matthew wished to emulate; he was, at heart, one them, the great, old families of Virginia, not a frontier farmer . It is here, before he reported to his first assignment for the Navy, that he met a cousin of his by marriage (no blood relationship) named Ann Hull Herndon, nicknamed Nannie, the daughter of Edward Herndon a bank president and the wealthiest man in the county. Nannie was only twelve years old at this time, with Matthew aged nineteen. He apparently noted her as a sweet little girl, and will, later in years to come, be reacquainted with her and make her his wife.

Then, in 1825, Matthew began his naval career. He reported to New York and on various assignments, sailed to France, the Mediterranean, Gibraltar, and Egypt. He returned to New York in 1826 and was then assigned on ships patrolling the coast of South America. Next, a grand adventure came to him, when his ship, the Vicennes, became the first US Navy ship to circumnavigate the globe. He returned to New York in 1830, stayed with relatives, and studied for the exams in order to become a passed midshipman. While here, he became reacquainted with his cousin Nannie Herndon, who had grown from a sweet little twelve year old girl into a pleasing nineteen year old lady. They became engaged in 1831. Descriptions of Nannie vary greatly, but all maintain that she was a good, pious soul.

At this point, a description of Matthew himself is warranted. Much correspondence by and about Matthew apparently survived. One of his daughters wrote a book on his life. He was very often in the limelight in later years, and not always receiving favorable treatment, whether deserved or not. Matthew was, agreed to by all, a genius, a practical scientist, who did not come by his knowledge in the usual way that many of his extremely well educated contemporaries in the scientific field did. He always wanted to do things different, better, faster, and safer, but in bureaucratic systems, innovators are often not looked upon as positive influences. He could be and was often extremely charming and personable, a Southern gentleman, a beloved family man, but he would not leave matters alone when many times, it would have been to his advantage to back off and try again later, in another way. Such a person makes many great devoted friends and acquires many admiring supporters, and at the same time, rubs many people the wrong way. Matthew did both, and unfortunately, many of the ones he had offended in the 1830’s - 1850’s eventually became leaders of the Confederacy, foremost Jefferson Davis.

Matthew just did not fit into any mold in the Navy that existed at that time. The South had other such leaders who did not fit the molds in the Army, and they, too, have been criticized by some. Had he lived in another time and not been caught in the time of the War Between the States, when resources had been available to him, I think we may surmise that his accomplishments would have been even more marvelous than they were.

Back to the progression of his life, after his engagement to Nannie, he was assigned to the war sloop Falmouth in June of 1831, as its navigator, to sail to Chile. This was his chance, to show the Navy how it could be done, and he wished to break speed records and make a good reputation for himself. He searched about for charts of winds, currents, tides, and coastlines to help him and found that there were none. Moreover, he was told, emphatically, that Naval officers did not bother with such, and to get on with things, just as had always been done. These were not the kinds of words that Matthew would take lightly. He, of course, did as he was ordered, but this unmet need for charts, seen only by him, planted a seed in his brain, a seed that would one day make him famous.

Matthew remained at sea for four more years, and advocated changes along the way. He was an innovator that many of his superiors viewed as a nuisance or a trouble maker, never leaving well enough alone. Having been in the Navy for a total of nine years, he was placed on the inactive list with half pay. At this time, he married Nannie Herndon, on July 15, 1834, and moved into a white frame house in Fredericksburg, VA, and began their own family, eventually having eight children. Their new household also took in the family of Matthew’s older brother, John Minor Maury, who had died in the Navy, at sea, from yellow fever in 1824. Eliza, the widowed sister-in-law and her two boys expanded the newlyweds’ home immediately. This was a pattern in Matthew’s and Nannie’s home which would always continue, until at the end of the War Between the States, Nannie had twenty-one relatives in her destitute household, with husband Matthew in England.

Needless to say, money was needed. Matthew began writing articles, and then a book on the science of navigation, hoping to be made, based on its success, a lieutenant in the Navy of ten years’ service and receive corresponding back pay. President Andrew Jackson, a fellow “Tennessean” was able to see to it that Matthew received the appointment as lieutenant. But the Secretary of Navy, with whom Matthew held a past grievance and had at one time reported the to the President for such, was successful in blocking any back pay. Going over your boss’s head did not pay then any better than it does now. A series of both professional and resulting personal conflicts began, which cost Matthew dearly. He aired theses “wrongs” often and openly. As in most situations like this, Matthew, having less political power and almost no financial resources, lost the recognition he personally sought and the money which his family desperately needed. But also, his country lost, as he was thwarted in his pursuits, and thus all were denied the fruits of his untapped great potential.

The situation grew worse when an expedition in 1838 in which Matthew wanted to participate was formed. He was offered a lesser position than he thought he deserved, and in character, refused. He wrote articles to newspapers, under a pen name, though many could deduce the true author, criticizing the Navy and its process in manning its expedition. No reforms were forthcoming. Either because of what few supporters he had or because they wanted to “encourage” him to be quiet and get him out of the way, he was put back on active duty, to survey the Georgia and Carolina Coasts, a duty he considered to be beneath him. He did, of course, however, follow orders.