HISTORY OF CAMP 2

Our camp is named for Lieutenant Commander Edward Lea USN, who served as the executive officer of the U.S.S. Harriet Lane. He and his commanding officer, Jonathan Wainwright, were both killed during the Battle of Galveston in January, 1863.  LCDR Lea is buried in Galveston’s Episcopal Cemetery.

On July 16, 1994, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War granted a provisional charter for the Lt. Cmdr. Edward Lea Camp No. 2 in Houston. 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 1996, desiring to involve members’ wives and partners in their work, Camp 2 sponsored the formation of a local branch of the Ladies Auxiliary to the SUVCW.   Organized in 1883 to assist the Sons, the National Auxiliary chartered the Edward Lea Auxiliary No. 1 on December 7, 1996. Soon thereafter Lea Auxiliary members voted to adopt a new appellation. The group henceforth became the Sarah Emma Seelye Ladies Auxilary #1, 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 a member of Houston’s McClellan Post of the GAR, and only the second woman to be admitted to the Order.

Today, Camp 2 is over 100-members strong and is the largest camp in the Department of Texas and Louisiana.  We work hand-in-hand with the Ladies Auxiliary, the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War (DUVCW) and the Sons of Veterans Reserve to accomplish our collective mission to honor the memory of Union veterans, and all veterans of our great nation.

In August, 2025 Houston will be the host city for the 144th annual National Encampment of the SUVCW.

_________________________________________

We are members of your community.  We are your friends and neighbors.

We invite you to join us in our cause.

Fraternity – Charity – Loyalty