Lt. Commander Edward Lea
Galveston, Galveston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1837-1863) Maryland-born Edward Lea graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1855. At the onset of the Civil War, his father, Albert, unsuccessfully tried to persuade him to join the Confederacy. Edward became First Officer on the U.S.S. Harriet Lane. On Jan. 1, 1863, it was involved in the Battle of Galveston against Confederates under Gen. John B. Magruder, whose staff included Albert Lea. After the battle, Albert found, but could not help, his mortally wounded son, whose final words were reportedly, "My father is here." Recorded - 2005
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Edward Lea, a Maryland-born Naval Academy graduate, stayed loyal to the Union at the Civil War's outbreak despite his father Albert's urging him to join the Confederacy. As first officer of the U.S.S. Harriet Lane, he fought in the Battle of Galveston on New Year's Day 1863 against Confederate forces whose commander's staff included his own father. Mortally wounded, Edward is said to have spoken his last words — 'My father is here' — as Albert reached his dying son on the deck.
Why it matters
Few episodes capture the Civil War's tragedy of divided families as starkly as a Confederate father cradling his fatally wounded Union son on a captured warship.
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Related people
- · Edward Lea
- · Albert Lea
- · John B. Magruder
Related events
- · Battle of Galveston
Themes & tags
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