The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1885-11-13


"This modest stone," remarked the
correspondents companion, 'commem-
CRATES one of the saddest of the many
sad events transpiring during the late
war, for it marks the last resting place
of as brave an officer as ever trod the
deck of an American mansof-war. Ed
ward Lea was Baltimorean by birth,
and the breaking out of the war found :
him an officer in the Federal navy. Hiss
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 Ia
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
bllC DObillds diu MhOh eiS SipJ Wt~o ~
taken by the rebel forces under Magru-
der, on the 1st of January, 1868, MAJOR
| A. M. Lea, the father of the young Lieu
teuant, 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
4 how fha Eorht 20, 10
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;
'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.:
ayes, and badly wounded
"I ami his father replied the Con.
federate 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 mortally
wounded. DR.. Penrose, of Philadelphia,
who was operating upon wounded man
stated that the Lieutenant was NOR
tally wounded and might die within al
hour, OF might linger for several days
The father then returned to the
shore to procure an ambulance to take
the wounded man to the hospital, bu
during his absence the Lieutenant ex
pired, his last words, when asked if h
had any directions to give, being sim
plv: NV father is here He wa
. buried, together with Captain Vain
wright, on the I'd of January, with mil
8 itary honors
a "a wealthy relative of Baltimor
q asked the fathers leave to remove th
t remains of the Lieutenant to Gree
r Mount Cemetery and place them besid
his mother, but the request was denied
the father feeling that it was NOR
fitting for the brave sailor to slee
= where he fell in sight of the sea and i
d sound of the surf In 1866, when th
n remains of Captain Wainwright wei
!. removed by his brother officers, the
: wished also to take the Lieutenant
], body to the Naval Academy at Anna]
J. oils, Md, but this effort was also resis
y ed. To-day, of all who fought and die
}. under the stars and stripes on the Ha
Il riet Lanes decks, the remains of Lie
IS tenant Lea are the only ones resting b
It meath the turf on Galveston Island. y.
J. Galveston (7er.) Cor. ST. LOUIS Gtob
Democrat.