Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-11-05
EDWARD LEA,
Lieut.. Commander u. 8. N.
Born Jan. 3lst, 1887,
Killed in Battle January 1st, 1868.


| s"This modest stone," remarked uiiy
correspondent companion, s'commem
CRATES one of the saddest of the man,
sad events TRANSPORTING during the late
war for it marks the last resting place
OF as brave an officer as ever trod the
deck OF an American man-of-war. Ed
ward Lea was a BaItimorean bv birth.
and the breaking out of the war found
him an officer in the + -deral navy. His
father, Major Albert M. Lea, who es-
poused the Confederate side, had writ.
ten him early in 81 giving his views on
the then pending contest, adding that
he must Judge for himself the side he
would take, but should he choose the
service of the United States they would
probably never meet again, unless per.
chance in battle.
The young officer elected to stand
by the old flag, and when the steamer
Harriet Lane was transformed into a
man-of-war he was selected by Captain
Wainwright as her First Lieutenant,
and in that capacity served under FAR
ragut at Fort Jackson. New Orleans
and Vicksburg. When the United States
forces occupied Galveston, in the fall
of 1862, the Ha riet Lane formed one of
the fotilla, and when the city was re-
taken by the rebel forces under Magru-
der, on the 1st of January. 1868, Ma or
A. M. Lea, the father of the young Lieu
tenant, was among the attacking party,
and from the shore witnessed his sons
ship surrender. after her Captain had
been killed and most of her officers des-
perately wounded.
''eProced1ng to the head of Beams
wharf, near where the fight took place,
Major Lea hailed the Harriet Lane, up
On whose bulwarks General Tom Green
and Commodore Leon Smith stood. and
asked if any of the steamers officers
had been killed or wounded, and the re-
ply was:
".Yes; nearly all of them
Major Lea was then granted per-
mission to go on board and, meeting an
officer of the ship, asked if Lieutenant
Lea was there, and was answered:
"'Yes, and badly wounded /
'tI am his father. replied the Con. .
ederaue officer; and he was then led to
lis son, who was lying in the cockpit
by the dead and diving. The
on recognized the father, telling him
hat he hoped he was not mortally
DR.. Penrose, of Philadelphia.
Who was operating upon wounded man.
tated that the Lieutenant was NOR
ally wounded and might die within an
our, or might linger for several DAYS.
he father then returned to the
bore to procure an ambulance to take
1e wounded man to the hospital, but
uring his absence the Lieutenant ex-
ired, his last words. when asked If he
ad any directions to give. being sim
~: NV father is here He was
eried, together with Captain VAIN
right. ON the I'd of January, with nil
airy honors.
"A wealthy relative OF Baltimore
sked the fathers leave to remove the
,mains of the Lieutenant to Green
[ouns Cemetery and place them beside
Is mother, but the request was denied.
le father feeling that it was more
ting for the brave sailor to sleep
here he fell in sight of the sea and 10
'und of the surf In 1866, when the
mains of Captain Wainwright were
moved by his brother officers. they
ished also to take the Lieutenant
,dy to the Naval Academy at Annap-
is, Md, but this effort was also resist
/ To-day, of all who fought and died
lder the stars and stripes ON the Har-
st Lanes decks. the remains of Lieu
nant Lea are the only ones resting be-
.ath the turf on Galveston Island. -
alceston (1sz.) Cor. St Louis Globe
snsocrGt.