Meade, << meed, >> George Gordon (1815-1872), was a Union general in the Civil War (1861-1865). He commanded the victorious Union Army at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863. This battle, between about 90,000 Union troops and 75,000 Southerners, has been called the greatest engagement ever fought on United States soil.
When the Civil War began, Meade became a brigadier general of volunteers from Pennsylvania. Beginning in 1862, he fought in most of the important battles in the East, including the peninsular campaign, the Second Battle of Bull Run (also called Manassas), and the battles of Antietam (also called Sharpsburg), Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. He became a major general of volunteers after Antietam and a corps commander after Fredericksburg. In June 1863, he replaced General Joseph Hooker as commander of the Army of the Potomac. Three days later, Meade showed his skill and military judgment in defeating the Confederates at Gettysburg. Jealous subordinates and Republican politicians criticized Meade’s battlefield leadership and blamed him for the Confederate Army’s escape into Virginia. But he remained in his command for the rest of the war, and his major decisions and actions proved to be correct.
Meade was born on Dec. 31, 1815, in Cadiz, Spain, the son of an American naval agent. He was educated in the United States and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1835. He served in the Second Seminole War (1835-1842) and in the Mexican War (1846-1848). After the Civil War, Meade held various military commands. He died on Nov. 6, 1872.
