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{{Infobox military person
|birth_name=George Gordon Meade
|birth_date={{birth date|1815|12|31}}
|death_date={{death date and age|1872|11|6|1815|12|31}}
|birth_place=[[Cadiz, Spain]]
|death_place=[[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]]
|placeofburial=[[Laurel Hill Cemetery]], Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
|placeofburial_label=
|image=CRAFTS (1868) p2.300 GEORGE G. MEADE.jpg
|caption=
|nickname="Old Snapping Turtle"
|allegiance=[[United States of America]]<br />[[Union (American Civil War)|Union]]
|branch=[[United States Army]]<br />[[Union Army]]
|serviceyears=1835–1836; 1842–1872
|rank=[[File:Union Army major general rank insignia.svg|border|35px]] [[Major general]] (USA)
|commands=[[V Corps (Union Army)|V Corps]]<br />[[Army of the Potomac]]<br />[[Department of the East]]
|unit=
|battles=[[Second Seminole War]]<br />[[Mexican–American War]]<br />[[American Civil War]]
* [[Peninsular Campaign]]
* [[Northern Virginia Campaign]]
* [[Battle of Antietam]]
* [[Battle of Fredericksburg]]
* [[Battle of Chancellorsville]]
* [[Battle of Gettysburg]]
* [[Bristoe Campaign]]
* [[Mine Run Campaign]]
* [[Overland Campaign]]
* [[Richmond-Petersburg Campaign]]
* [[Appomattox Campaign]]
|awards=
|laterwork=
}}
'''George Gordon Meade''' (1815-1872) was one of the few [[Union Army]] [[General officer|generals]] in the [[American Civil War]] who was born and began his [[career]] in a [[wikt:foreign|foreign]] country.<ref name=ggmCWT>{{cite web |url=http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/george-meade.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/ |title=George G. Meade |publisher=Civil War Trust |access-date=20 August 2016}}</ref> He was born in [[Cadiz, Spain]] on December 31, 1815.<ref name=ggmHIST>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/george-g-meade |title=George G. Meade |website=History |publisher=A&E Television Networks, LLC |access-date=20 August 2016}}</ref> He came to the [[United States]] after his family was [[Finance|financially]] [[wikt:ruin|ruin]]ed during the [[Napoleonic Wars]].<ref name=ggmCWT/> Meade was made [[commander]] of the Union [[Army of the Potomac]] just before the [[Battle of Gettysburg]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://historyengine.richmond.edu/episodes/view/5187 |title=George Meade: Hero at Gettysburg? |website=History Engine |publisher=University of Richmond |access-date=20 August 2016 |archive-date=16 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516085050/http://historyengine.richmond.edu/episodes/view/5187 |url-status=dead }}</ref> After the Civil War he stayed in the army, serving in the [[Southern United States|South]] during the [[Reconstruction of the United States|Reconstruction]]. Meade served as commissioner of [[Fairmount Park]] in [[Philadelphia]] until his death in 1872.

== Early life ==
Meade was born in Cadiz, Spain to [[Americans|American]] parents, Richard W. Meade and Margaret Coates Meade.<ref name=ggmEV>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Meade_George_Gordon_1815-1872#start_entry|title=George G. Meade (1815–1872) |author=Ethan S. Rafuse |website=Encyclopedia Virginia|publisher=Virginia Foundation for the Humanities |access-date=20 August 2016}}</ref> His father was an [[wikt:agent|agent]] for the [[United States Navy]].<ref name=ggmEV/> Richard Meade died in 1828 leaving his family with very little [[money]].<ref name=ggmEV/> The family returned to the United States settling in Philadelphia.<ref name=ggmEV/> In 1831, because his family was still struggling financially, Meade entered the [[United States Military Academy at West Point]].<ref name=ggmHIST/> Four years later he [[graduate]]d 19th in a class of 56.{{efn|With 56 graduates, the graduating class of 1835 was large by West Point standards of the time. Yet within four years, 25 had resigned and left the service.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/America/United_States/Army/USMA/Cullums_Register/Classes/1835.html |title=Register of Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy, Class of 1835 |publisher=University of Chicago |access-date=20 August 2016}}</ref> At the time, promotions were very slow and most lieutanants had few hopes of becomming a captain.<ref name=Ganoe179>William Addleman Ganoe, ''The History of the United States Army'' (New York; London: Appleton-Century, 1942), p. 179</ref> At the time 69 graduates were [[brevet (military)|brevet]] second lieutanants as there were no vacancies.<ref name=Ganoe179/> in 1936, 117 officers left the army. During this decade, not only did Meade leave, but also men such as [[Jefferson Davis]], [[Joseph E. Johnston]], and [[Albert Sidney Johnston]], who fought for the Confederacy.<ref name=Ganoe179/>}} <ref name=ggmHIST/>

Meade was [[wikt:commission|commission]]ed a [[Lieutenant|second lieutenant]] and served in the [[Seminole Wars]] in [[Florida]].<ref name=fortggmMUSEUM>{{cite web |url=http://www.314th.org/camp-meade/Fort-Meade-Camp-Meade-Illustrated-History.pdf |title=An Illustrated History of Fort George G. Meade |publisher=Fort Meade Museum |access-date=20 August 2016}}</ref> He was an [[artillery]] [[officer]] for a year before [[resignation|resigning]] in 1837 to become a [[civil engineer]]. He reentered the army in 1842 after having difficulty in finding [[job]]s.<ref name=ggrCIVWARHM>{{cite web |url=http://www.civilwarhome.com/meadebio.html |title=George Gordon Meade (1815-1872)|publisher=Civil War Home |access-date=20 August 2016}}</ref> Meade was a second lieutenant in the [[Corps of Topographical Engineers]] when the [[Mexican–American War]] broke out in 1846.<ref name=fortggmMUSEUM/> He was then placed in charge of [[lighthouse]] construction and later, [[survey]]ing the Great Lakes.<ref name=ggmEV/>

== Civil War ==
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Meade had risen to the rank of [[captain]] in the regular army. He was appointed a [[brigadier general]] to command a [[brigade]] of [[Pennsylvania]] [[wikt:volunteer|volunteer]]s.{{efn|At the beginning of the Civil war, both the North and South needed generals. Lincoln promoted dozens of men to the rank of general without any idea if they were [[wikt:competent|competent]] or not.<ref name=Keegan322>John Keegan, ''The American Civil War'' (New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2009), p. 322</ref> Many generals were politicians or leaders of some influence and most were generals of state [[militia]]s. Any who proved their worth in battle were rewarded with regular army rank.<ref name=Keegan322/> Grant, as an [[example]], started the war as a brigadier of [[Illinois]] volunteers.<ref name=Keegan322/> He was given a commission as a [[major general]] in the regular army, then later promoted to [[lieutenant general]].<ref name=Keegan322/>}}<ref name=meadeACW>{{cite web |url=http://www.americancivilwar.com/north/Union_Generals/General_Meade.html |title=Union General George Gordon Meade, Commander Army of the Potomac |publisher=AmericanCivilWar.com |access-date=20 August 2016}}</ref> He was given the task of building several [[fortification]]s near [[Tenallytown]], [[Maryland]].<ref name=meadeACW/> It was about this time he gained his [[nickname]] "The Old Snapping Turtle" for being [[Temperament|short-tempered]] with junior officers and his [[wikt:superior|superior]]s. He was especially short with [[civilian]]s and [[newspaper]] [[reporter]]s. His command was [[wikt:attach|attach]]ed to the Army of the Potomac in March 1862. His troops fought in the [[Battle of Beaver Dam Creek]] and the [[Battle of Gaines's Mill]].<ref name=meadeACW/> Meade was seriously [[wound]]ed at the [[Battle of Glendale]]. He remained on the [[battlefield]] giving orders until a loss of [[blood]] from two bullet wounds forced him to leave the field.<ref name=meadeACW/> He recovered in a Philadelphia [[hospital]] and returned to duty in September. He led a [[division]] of "Pennsylvania Reserves" at the [[Battle of South Mountain]] and again three days later on September 17, 1862 at the [[Battle of Antietam]].<ref name=meadeACW/> At Antietam he took temporary command of I Corps after the corps commander was wounded. He participated in the [[Battle of Fredericksburg]] and after the battle was made commander of the V Corps.<ref name=meadeACW/> In May 1863, Meade's V Corps protected the important [[wikt:ford|ford]]s on the [[Rappahannock River]] at the [[Battle of Chancellorsville]]. Despite the Union Army heavily outnumbering the [[Confederate States Army|Confederates]], the Army of the Potomac was defeated. This led to General Hooker being replaced as commander. On June 28, 1863 Meade was given overall command of the Army of the Potomac.<ref name=ggmCWT/>

=== Gettysburg ===
Having had command of the Army of the Potomac for only three days, and having to deal with a Confederate army which had already [[Invasion|invaded]] Pennsylvania, Meade quickly re[[wikt:organized|organized]] his forces.<ref name=mhgOWLCATION>{{cite web |url=https://owlcation.com/humanities/General-George-G-Meade-Gettysburg-Hero-or-Goat |title=General George G. Meade: Hero Of Gettysburg or Goat? |date=10 February 2016|website=Owlcation |publisher=HubPages Inc |access-date=20 August 2016}}</ref> He moved the army towards [[Gettysburg, Pennsylvania]] to stop [[Robert E. Lee]]'s [[Army of Northern Virginia]].<ref name=mhgOWLCATION/>
  [[File:Angels of the battlefield - a history of the labors of the Catholic sisterhoods in the late civil war (1898) (14762468262).jpg|left|350px]]
With parts of his army already at Gettysburg, Meade arrived late in the day on July 1. He decided to fight a [[Defense (military)|defensive battle]].<ref name=meadeACW/> His army held ground just [[south]] of Gettysburg. The next day saw some of the [[wikt:bloody|bloodiest]] fighting with the Union army holding the high ground and Lee's army attacking both [[Flanking maneuver|flanks]]. Each attack was thrown back. That evening, Meade held a "council of war" with his officers. All said the army should stay and fight the Confederates. On July 3 the Confederates attacked the Union center with about 13,000 men. They broke through the center of the Union line only to be thrown back again. When Lee told General [[George Pickett]] to gather his division together and attack again, Picket replied he no longer had a division. They had been nearly wiped out during [[Pickett's Charge]]. At that point Lee realized he had been defeated. On July 4, 1863, following three days of battle at Gettysburg, the two armies watched each other from opposing [[wikt:ridge|ridge]]s.<ref name=bofwCWT>{{cite web |url=http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/falling-waters.html |title=Battle of Falling Waters ''Williamsport'', ''Hagerstown'' |publisher=Civil War Trust |access-date=20 August 2016 |archive-date=12 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812042349/http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/falling-waters.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Meade sent out [[skirmisher]]s to [[wikt:probe|probe]] the Confederate lines. But no order was given to attack.<ref name=bofwCWT/> Lee was now concerned with getting his army and all their captured supplies{{efn|By late 1862, Virginia was running out of food to feed its army.<ref name=Brown12>Kent Masterson Brown, ''Retreat from Gettysburg: Lee, Logistics, and the Pennsylvania Campaign'' (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2005), pp. 12–13</ref> Lee's [[horse]]s were dying of [[disease]] because they had little or no [[fodder]]. The cavalry and [[Field artillery in the American Civil War|artillery units]] had to be widely scattered behind his lines in order to find food for the horses.<ref name=Brown12/> In the winter of 1863, food trains from the south were becoming more and more scarce. One of Lee's main reasons for invading the North was to get supplies to continue the war. Lee's army [[Foraging|foraged]] many of the small towns around Gettysburg for food and fodder.<ref name=welcome>{{cite web |url=http://visitgettysburgpa.com/battle-of-gettysburg/|title=The Battle of Gettysburg |publisher=Gettysburg Welcome Center|access-date=20 August 2016}}</ref> They took whatever [[wikt:supplies|supplies]] they could find from the rich [[Pennsylvania]] [[countryside]] back to the safety of Virginia.<ref name=welcome/>}} back to [[Virginia]].<ref name=rfgUSCW>{{cite web |url=http://www.us-civilwar.com/exodus.htm |title=Retreat from Gettysburg |publisher=United States Civil War |access-date=20 August 2016 |archive-date=15 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815204047/http://www.us-civilwar.com/exodus.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> His army held its position while the more than 10,000 wounded men were moved by [[wagon train]] {{convert|40|mi}} to [[Williamsport, Maryland]]. The train of wagons and [[ambulance]]s with the wounded was some {{convert|17|mi}} long.<ref name=rfgUSCW/> Meade discovered Lee's army had left the morning of July 5. Meade then ordered his nearly exhausted army to pursue Lee. Since the [[Potomac River]] was [[flood]]ed, Lee's army was delayed in crossing. But by the time Meade's forces reached the Potomac, Lee had already escaped back into Virginia.

While Meade was proclaimed the "hero of Gettysburg", [[President of the United States|President]] [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln]] wasn't satisfied.<ref name=mhgOWLCATION/> He had expected Meade to follow and destroy Lee's army, which could have ended the war.<ref name=mhgOWLCATION/> Meade offered Lincoln his resignation but Lincoln refused to accept it.<ref name=ggmCWT/> On July 7, 1863, Meade was promoted to brigadier general in the regular army. Both the battles of [[Battle of Bristoe Station|Bristoe Station]] and [[Battle of Mine Run|Mine Run]] were un[[wikt:decisive|decisive]] for the Union army under Meade.<ref name=ggmCWT/> In the spring of 1864, Meade again offered his resignation when General [[Ulysses S. Grant]] became [[general-in-chief]] of all Union forces and made his [[headquarters]] with the Army of the Potomac.<ref name=ggmCWT/> While Meade remained in command, nearly all command decisions were made by Grant.<ref name=ggmCWT/> This continued through the [[Siege of Petersburg]] after which Meade was promoted to [[major general]].<ref name=ggmCWT/> A week later, when Lee [[surrender (military)|surrender]]ed his army to Grant at [[Appomattox Court House]], Meade was not present.<ref name=ggmCWT/>

== After the war ==
 [[File:Pennsylvania at Gettysburg - ceremonies at the dedication of the monuments erected by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania to Major General George G. Meade, Major General Winfield S. Hancock, Major (14576052058).jpg|thumb|right|250px|{{Center|Statue of General George G. Meade at Gettysburg}}]]
Meade commanded several military departments. One of these was the [[Department of the South]].<ref name=fortggmMUSEUM/>  In the fall of 1872, he came down with [[pneumonia]]. He died on November 6, 1872.<ref name=fortggmMUSEUM/> His [[funeral]] became a state affair with President Grant attending.<ref name=fortggmMUSEUM/> Thousands of people in Philadelphia lined the route of his funeral to say goodbye to the "hero of Gettysburg".<ref name=fortggmMUSEUM/> On July 18, 1917, by order of the [[United States Department of War]], Camp Meade, [[Maryland]] was named in honor of George G. Meade. In 1929, to differentiate it from [[Fort Meade (South Dakota)|Fort Meade]] in [[South Dakota]], the camp was renamed [[Fort George G. Meade]].<ref name=fortggmMUSEUM/>

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

==Other websites==
* {{YouTube|q23-WhJV3SA| Museum Without Walls™: Audio - Major General George Gordon Meade by artist Alexander Milne Calder}}
* [http://www.ftmeade.army.mil/ Official Home Page of Fort George G. Meade, Maryland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325195229/http://www.ftmeade.army.mil/ |date=2016-03-25 }}

{{American Civil War}}
{{Gettysburg figures}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meade, George G.}}
[[Category:American Civil War generals]]
[[Category:1815 births]]
[[Category:1872 deaths]]
[[Category:Military people from Pennsylvania]]