With the outbreak of the Civil War, Maffett enrolled in the "Pickens Guards," (Company C of the 3rd South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment) on April 14, 1861, at Frog Level (now Prosperity, South Carolina). He was elected captain.
Maffett's enlistment and election as captain occurred during the Civil War, specifically with "Pickens Guards," a unit of the 3rd South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment, in April 1861 at Frog Level (now Prosperity, South Carolina).