A Short History of the Edward Lea Camp No. 2

Origins of the Edward Lea Camp:

A Brief History of the Grand Army of the Republic and
the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and its Auxiliary

After the Civil War, various Union military veterans came together throughout the Northern States to form the Grand Army of the Republic in 1866. Known informally as the GAR, the group's membership peaked in the 1890s at over 400,000 men throughout the United States. Veteran's wives also supported the GAR and their activities led to the founding of the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic and the Woman's Relief Corps. After the demise of the GAR, these two groups evolved primarily into descendant-oriented female lineage societies and still thrive today.

The GAR met annually until 1949 when, by natural attrition of the membership, it waned as an organization. The GAR formally ceased to exist when its last member, Albert Woolson of Duluth, Minnesota, died in 1956. Foreseeing their limited life span, GAR members early-on sought to involve descendants in their activities. They wanted their heirs to perpetuate the GAR's heritage and attempted to form appendant organizations that would carry on its work. This desire led to the founding of the national organizations of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War in 1881 and a Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War in 1885. By the turn of the century, numerous Sons' and Daughters' affiliates were founded with GAR support. Reflecting the GAR's traditional base, the majority of these progeny bodies were located across the northern states. The GAR itself, however, was not restricted to the borders of the old Union states.

In the years following the Civil War, many Union veterans migrated South in search of new opportunities in the former Confederate states. Southeast Texas experienced great post-war growth and many Northerners settled in the Houston-Galveston area. Thus it was only natural that the two cities became home to local branches of the GAR. Galveston's Winfield Scott Hancock Post 2, GAR was formed in 1886 and survived until 1928. The George B. McClellan Post 9, GAR was founded in Houston and had a similar life span. Whether either Post supported the establishment of an appendant Sons or Daughters body is unknown as no records are extant. If they did, however, then it appears that any such appendant bodies met their demise when the parent groups ceased to exist. The McClellan Post did, however, support a local branch of the Woman's Relief Corps. Primarily composed of wives of the Houston GAR members, Woman's Relief Corps No.16 was founded in 1895 and co-existed with the McClellan Post until the 1930s. Thereafter, more than six decades would pass before the establishment of another group in the Houston-Galveston area devoted to the memory of the GAR and its work.

On July 16, 1994, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War granted a provisional charter for the Lt. Comdr. Edward Lea Camp No. 2 in Houston. The camps' namesake, Edward Lea, was a Union Naval officer killed aboard the U.S.S. Harriet Lane in the 1863 Battle of Galveston. The Lane's Captain, Jonathan Wainwright, was also killed in that battle. Lea and Wainwright were buried with military and masonic honors in Galveston's Episcopal Cemetery during a special funeral service conducted by the Confederates after the battle. From an initial seven members in 1994, membership more than tripled by 1996 and the Lea Camp's charter was made permanent. During the same period, other camps were organized in Texas and Oklahoma and, in May 1995, the Lea Camp joined with them to establish the Department of the Southwest.

In late 1996, desiring to involve members' wives and partners in their work, the Lea Camp supported the formation of a local branch of the ladies Auxiliary to Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Organized in 1883 to assist the Sons, the National Auxiliary chartered the Edward Lea Auxiliary No. 1 on December 7, 1996. Soon thereafter, however, Lea Auxiliary members voted to adopt a new appellation. The group henceforth became the Sarah Emma Seelye Auxilary, taking its name from the daring woman who served in the Union Army while disguised as a man. Although she served from Michigan, Seelye settled in Texas after the war and is buried in Houston's Washington Cemetery. Seelye was also a member of the McClellan Post and held the distinction of being the GAR's only official female member.

The Edward Lea Camp and the Sara Emma Seelye Auxiliary have similar purposes and work together to achieve them. Both groups seek to honor the memory of the GAR through memorial services, preservation work, historical lectures, and the marking of Civil War veteran's graves. As non-political historical and patriotic bodies, both groups are dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of the Civil War years for future generations. As heirs to the legacy of the GAR, the Sons and their Auxiliary are open to all descendants of Union veterans. Non-lineage membership is also available for those without Union ancestors but who support the goals of the two organizations. Membership in both groups is drawn from the greater Houston-Galveston area and from surrounding counties in Southeast Texas. The Sons meet monthly (except August) at the Spaghetti Warehouse Restaurant in Houston. The Auxiliary generally meets six times during the year, usually in the odd-numbered months, at various locations, and sometimes jointly with the Camp. For more information about membership, meetings and activities, click on the respective pages of the Lea Camp website for details.