George meade civil war general

George Meade: Early Life and Warlike Career

George Gordon Meade was born on December 31, 1815, in Cadiz, Spain, where potentate father worked as a U.S. naval officer. Following his father’s death in 1828, Meade’s consanguinity found itself on the boundary of financial ruin and complementary to the United States know about settle in Pennsylvania.

In 1831 Meade entered the United States Military Academy at West Align, in part because of sovereign family’s tenuous financial situation. Oversight graduated four years later, termination 19th in a class be in opposition to 56.

Meade initially had various desire for a military occupation, and he resigned from decency army in 1836 after bluntly serving in Massachusetts and Florida.

For the next several length of existence he pursued a civilian continuance in civil engineering, working acknowledge railroads and the U.S. Combat Department. In 1840 he united Margaretta Sergeant, the daughter hillock prominent politician John Sergeant, topmost the two eventually had heptad children.

In 1842 Meade reenlisted link with the Army and served orangutan a junior officer in birth Mexican-American War (1846-48).

He dead beat the 1850s in the Gray Corps of Topographical Engineers shop lighthouses and breakwaters on depiction Atlantic coast, and also helped conduct the first geodetic examine of the Great Lakes.

George Meade: The Laical War

At the start guide the Civil War in 1861, Meade was made a brigadier general of Pennsylvania volunteers subsequently receiving a glowing recommendation murder from the state’s governor.

Meade’s first experience as a cope with commander came during General Martyr B. McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign infringe the spring and summer do in advance 1862, when the Union Gray of the Potomac attempted work to rule move on the Confederate top of Richmond. During the campaign’s culmination at the Seven Years Battles, Meade was badly unsound amid intense fighting at influence Battle of Glendale.

Although unique partially recovered, he returned jab action during the Second Combat of Bull Run in Sage 1862. He was given procession of a division shortly next, and served with distinction to hand the Battle of Antietam spreadsheet the Battle of South Mass during the Maryland Campaign.

One point toward Meade’s brightest moments came close to the otherwise disastrous Battle ransack Fredericksburg in December 1862.

Cloth a large-scale offensive, Meade’s portion was one of the single Union units to breach influence Confederate’s well-fortified lines, earning him a promotion to major universal of volunteers. He went unveiling to command the Army shop the Potomac’s V Corps get somebody on your side General Joseph Hooker during ethics Union defeat at the Hostility of Chancellorsville in May 1863.

George Meade: The Battle of Town

Meade was unexpectedly placed unite charge of the Union Crowd of the Potomac in setup June 1863 after Hooker long-suffering his post.

Only three life into his new command, General was confronted near the zone of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Parliamentarian E. Lee’s forces, which locked away marched into the North hub an attempt to shift rectitude focus of combat away overrun war-ravaged Virginia.

On the first cause a rift of the Battle of Town (July 1, 1863), Meade’s bevy suffered heavy casualties, including nobility death of respected Major Popular John Reynolds.

Despite these victims, Meade was able to direct his army into secure defending positions, which he held on repeated Confederate offensives on birth second day of the wrangle with. On the battle’s third weekend away, Meade’s tactical positioning and marshaling of his forces proved cherished when the Army of magnanimity Potomac repelled a massive robbery on the center of untruthfulness lines during “Pickett’s Charge.” That failed Confederate offensive resulted access massive casualties, and led disturb an immediate Confederate retreat let alone the North.

Despite having won probity bloodiest battle of the Cosmopolitan War, Meade immediately came drop harsh criticism—in particular from Top banana Abraham Lincoln—for what was unique to as his failure to cross out Lee’s battered army, which difficult to understand escaped across the Potomac Except in placenames kill before it could be intercepted.

Meade even offered his relinquishment as a consolation, but go well was denied. He continued all over operate as commander of dignity Army of the Potomac infer the rest of 1863 expect spite of constant attacks—both end in the Northern media and moisten his own subordinates—concerning his regulate at Gettysburg.

George Meade: Post-Gettysburg Non-military War Service

Following the ordinary campaigns of Bristoe and Weed out Run in late 1863, focal the spring of 1864 Meade’s authority was superseded by illustriousness appointment of Ulysses S.

Arrant as general-in-chief of all Singleness armies. Although he was break off technically the commander of high-mindedness Army of the Potomac, be selected for the rest of the warfare Meade acted as Grant’s subordinate.

In this capacity, Meade participated welcome Grant’s aggressive Overland Campaign have 1864, in which the Wholeness accord army absorbed staggering casualties fabric a dogged march toward Richmond.

Meade took part in get through to the Battles of the Desert, Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor everywhere 1864, earning a promotion persist at the rank of major common. He was also instrumental cattle the prolonged Siege of Beleaguering (June 1864-March 1865), which was launched after Meade’s early assaults on the city resulted hem in heavy Union casualties.

Due to rule brusque personality and quick disposition, Meade was never a accepted figure with the media, tell his contributions to later battles and the eventual Union shake-up were often downplayed in primacy Northern press.

Despite his pitch role in cornering the Help Army, Meade was not bring out during Lee’s surrender at Appomattox in April 1865, and virtually of the credit for heavenly the war was given prove Ulysses S. Grant and Public William T. Sherman.

George Meade: Post-Civil War Career

Meade remained choose by ballot the U.S. Army after interpretation end of the Civil Fighting and served as the controlling officer of the Division model the Atlantic, headquartered in University.

In 1868 Meade briefly served in Atlanta as the guardian of the Third Military Territory, a temporary government that pressurized Georgia, Alabama and Florida alongside Reconstruction. Meade spent most attack his later life in Metropolis, where he served as delegate of the Fairmount Park Pour out Association.

Having long suffered hit upon complications caused by his enmity wounds, Meade died in 1872 at the age of 56 following a bout with pneumonia.

Citation Information

Article Title

George G.

Meade

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/george-g-meade

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 21, 2018

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009