George Meade
George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 - November 6, 1872) was an American military officer duringAmerican Civil War.Early career
Meade was bornCadiz, Spainan American family. Attime, his father had run into financiallegal difficulties duepart toNapoleonic Wars. Meade graduated fromUnited States Military Academy (West Point)1835. Foryear, he served with3rd ArtilleryFlorida, fighting againstSeminole Native Americans, before resigningbecomecivil engineer. He was alsorailroad constructor,worked forDepartmentWarsome time. However, after finding civilian employment difficult, he reenteredarmy1842. He was commissionedsecond lieutenant,assigned tocorpstopographical engineers.He was assignedMexico duringMexican War, assigned tostaffsGenerals Zachary Taylor, William J. Worth,Robert Patterson,was brevettedgallant conduct atMonterey. His military career was uneventful, mainly as an engineer associatedlighthouses, until 1861, whenCivil War erupted.
Civil War career
Meade was appointedbrigadier generalVolunteersfew months afterstart ofCivil War. He was assigned command ofbrigadePennsylvania Reserves, which he led competently. DuringSeven Days' Battles, Meade receivedsevere wound (specifically atBattleFraziers' Farm). He recoveredtime forSecond BattleBull Run, after which he receiveddivisional command. Meade distinguished himself duringBattleAntietamits precursor, South Mountain. Informer, he replacedwounded Major General Joseph HookercommandI Corps, performing well.DuringBattleFredericksburg, Meade's division madeonly breakthrough ofConfederate lines, spearheading throughweak portionGeneral "Stonewall" Jackson's lines. For this action, Meade was promotedmajor generalVolunteers. However, he was unsupported, losing muchhis division. Afterbattle, he received commandV Corps,duringshort tenure ofsystemGrand Divisions after Fredericksburg, Meade commandedCentre Grand Division. General Hooker, like oneMeade's previous superiors, Major General George B. McClellan, was too timidhis force deployment, leaving Meade's effective divisionreservemost ofUnion defeat atBattleChancellorsville.
After Hooker resigned from command ofArmy ofPotomac, Meade replaced him three days beforeBattleGettysburg, where he succeededdriving General Robert E. Lee's army back into Virginia, but was criticizednot actively pursuingConfederates during their retreat (at one point,were extremely vulnerabletheir backs toalmost uncrossable Potomac River). Nonetheless, he receivedThanksCongress andbelated promotionbrigadier generalRegulars (which was separate from his promotions inVolunteer army).
When General Ulysses S. Grant was appointed commander ofUnion forces, Meade became subordinatehim. DuringBattleBristoe Station andMine Run Campaign, Meade performed unspectacularly. Interestingly, after Grant made his headquarters1864Meade, there was an arrangementmention Meade onlysetbacks, becausehis well-known fiery temper, especially toward reporters. Most certainly, Meade knew nothingthis arrangement, andreporters apparently giving all ofcreditGrant angered Meade. He fought effectively duringOverland Campaign (includingBattle ofWilderness), andBattlePetersburg, after which Grant requested that he be promotedmajor general ofRegular Army. Although he fought duringAppomattox Campaign, he felt slighted that Grantcavalry commander Major General Philip Sheridan received most ofcredit. He commandedArmy ofPotomac untilUnion victory1865.
Postbellum career
General Meade wascommissionerFairmount ParkPennsylvania from 1866 until his death. He also held various military commands, includingMilitary Division ofAtlantic,Department ofEast,3rd Military District (including GeorgiaAlabama), andDepartment ofSouth. He received an honorary doctoratelaw (LL.D.) from Harvard University,his scientific achivements were recognized by various institutions, includingAmerican Philosophical Society andPhiladelphia AcademyNatural Sciences.Meade diedPhiladelphia on November 6, 1872, duecomplications from his old wounds, combinedpneumonia. Therevarious statueshim throughout Pennsylvania, includingfewGettysburg. Also,US Army installation Fort George G. MeadeFort Meade, Marylandnamedhim.
