Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-11-27
EDWARD LEA,
Lieut.. Commander U. S. n,
Born Jan. 3lst, 1887,
Killed in Battle January LIST, 1863
"My Father is Here"

"This modest %stone," remarked the
correspondents companion, comment
CRATES one of the saddest Of the many
sad events transpiring during the late
war. for it marks the last resting place
deck Of an American man-of-war. Ed
ward Lea was a Baltimorean by birth,
and the breaking out OF the wal found
him an officer in the r. 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
be must Judge for himself tho 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 Harriet Lane formed one of
the t~1otilla, 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.
Proceeding 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 OF wounded, and the re-
ply was:
"'Yes; nearly all Of Them
"Maior Lea was then granted per-
mission to 60 on board and, meeting an
officer of the ship, asked ii Lieutenant
Lea was there, and vas answered:
eyes, and badly wounded
81 am his father replied the Con-
federatc officer; and he was then led to
his son, who was lying in the cockpit
surrounded by the dead and dying. The
son recognized the father, telling him
that he hoped he was not MORALLY
wounded. DR.. Penrose, of Philadelphia,
who was operating upoua wounded man.
stated that the Lieutenant was NOR
tally wounded and might die within an
hour, or might linger for several days.
The father then returned to the
shore to procure an ambulance to take
the wounded man to tho hospital, but
during bis absence the Lieutenant ex-
PRED, his last words, when asked if he
had any directions to give, being SIM
ply: 'My father is here He was
buried, together with Captain Vain.
wright. Oh the I'd of January, with nil
itary honors ~ss,4f
"a wealthy relative Of Baltimore
asked the fathers leave to remove the
remains of the Lieutenant t. Green
Mount Cemetery and place them beside
his mother, but the request was denied.
the father feeling that it was more
fitting for the brave sailor to sleep
where he fell in sight of the sea and in
sound Of the surf In 1866, when the
remains Of Captain Wainwright were
removed Ivy his brother officers, they
wished also to take the Lieutenants
body to the Naval Academy at Annap-
oils. Md, but this effort was also resist
ed To-day, of all who fought and died
under the stars and stripes on the Har-
riot Lanes decks, the remains of Lieu
tenant Lea are the only ones resting pc
meath the turf on Galveston Island.
Galveston (2e1.) Cor. st. Loats Goos-
Democrat