Captain M. F. Lynch was born near Fredericksburg, in 1801 was appointed a
midshipman in the U. S. Navy in 1819, promoted to Lieutenant in 1828, and
shortly afterwards made an important scientific investigation of the
topography of the Dead Sea Valley in Palestine. He made the first correct
maps and soundings of the Jordan and the Dead Sea, and his report was
published by the United States Government and much valued by the
scientific world. He was made a Captain in 1856 and held this rank when he
resigned to enter the Confederate Navy. His work with the Virginia Navy in
the defenses of Aquia Creek and the Potomac was complimented by his
opponents, and later he took part in the defense of the coast of North
Carolina, winning much credit by his zealous action at the battles of
Hatteras Inlet and Roanoke Island.
In 1864 Captain Lynch was transferred to duty on the Mississippi River,
where he aided in the preparation of the famous ram, the Arkansas, for her
brilliant career. He died in Baltimore, October 17, 1865.