George Meade
| George Gordon Meade | |
|---|---|
Meade, portrait by Mathew Brady
|
|
| Nickname(s) | "Old Snapping Turtle" |
| Born |
December 31, 1815 Cádiz, Spain |
| Died | November 6, 1872 (aged 56) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Buried at | Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1835–1836 1842–1872 |
| Rank |
 Major general
|
| Commands held |
V Corps Army of the Potomac Department of the East |
| Battles/wars | |
Second Seminole War
Mexican–American War
American Civil War
George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872) was a career United States Army officer and civil engineer involved in the coastal construction of several lighthouses. He fought with distinction in the Second Seminole War and the Mexican–American War. During the American Civil War he served as a Union general, rising from command of a brigade to command of the Army of the Potomac. He is best known for defeating Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.
Meade's Civil War combat experience started as a brigade commander in the Peninsula Campaign and the Seven Days Battles, including the Battle of Glendale, where he was wounded severely. As a division commander, he had notable success at the Battle of South Mountain and assumed temporary corps command at the Battle of Antietam. His division was arguably the most successful during the assaults at the Battle of Fredericksburg.
During the Gettysburg Campaign, he was appointed to command the Army of the Potomac just three days before the Battle of Gettysburg, but was able to organize his forces to fight a successful defensive battle against Robert E. Lee. This victory was marred by his ineffective pursuit during the Retreat from Gettysburg, by the inconclusive campaigns in the fall of 1863, and by intense political rivalries within the Army, notably with Daniel Sickles.
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