Edward Lea

Edward Lea (January 31, 1837 – January 1, 1863), was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was mortally wounded at the Battle of Galveston and died in the arms of his father, who was on the opposing side in the conflict.

Lea was born in Maryland, and graduated from the Naval Academy in October 1855.

He served on the China Station just prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. During the war, he continued to serve in the Union Navy although his father, Albert Miller Lea, became an major of artillery in the Confederate Army. The two met only once more, in one of the war’s most poignant incidents, when Lea, then executive officer in "Harriet Lane", was mortally wounded during the Confederate recapture of Galveston on January 1, 1863. His father, serving ashore in Galveston, was with his son at his death. [Doran, W. P. "Sioux". - "Sioux's Retrospection About The Battle of Galveston". - "Galveston Daily News". - July 28, 1886
| Cumberland, C. C. - "The Confederate Loss and Recapture of Galveston". - "Southwestern Historical Quarterly". - LI, October, 1947. - p.125
| Taylor, Alva W., (1962). - "The Lea Family". - "History of Navarro County, Texas". - Corsicana, Texas: Travis Printing Company - p.104.
| "A Compilation of The Official Records of The Union and Confederate Armies in The War of The Rebellion" - 128 volumes. - Washington, D. C. - 1880-1901. - Series I, Volume IV. - p.406.]

The USS "Lea" (DD-118) was named for him, as is Camp #2 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War in Houston.

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