The New Student's Reference Work/Meade, George Gordon

GEN. G. G. MEADE

Meade, George Gordon, an American general, born at Cadiz, Spain, Dec. 31, 1815. In the Mexican War he was on the staff of General Taylor, afterward on that of General Scott, and won honor at the battles of Palo Alto and Monterey. From 1856 to 1861 he was in charge of the surveys of the Great Lakes. In the Civil War he first was in command of the Pennsylvania brigade, and fought in the battles of Gaines’ Mill and Frazier’s Farm, where he was severely wounded, South Mountain, Antietam and Fredericksburg. He was in command of different corps of the army of the Potomac. Meade succeeded Hooker in the command of the army of the Potomac, and fought the battle of Gettysburg, July 1–3, 1863, receiving the thanks of Congress in 1866 for “his skill and heroic valor.” He was made major-general in the regular army in 1864, and retained the command of the army of the Potomac, under General Grant, during the battles of the Wilderness, the siege of Petersburg etc. until the close of the war. He was in command of the division of the Atlantic, 1865–66; of the department of the east, 1866–67; and later of the military district which included Georgia, Alabama and Florida. His headquarters were at Philadelphia, where he died, Nov. 6, 1872, at his home, the gift of his grateful fellow citizens. See Gettysburg.