Lieut. Gen. George G. Meade
Born: December 31, 1815
Cadiz, Spain
Died: November 6, 1872
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1831: West Point Graduate
1831: Brevet 2nd Lieutenant
Winter 1831: 2nd Lieutenant
1836: Resigned from U.S. Army
1842: Reenlisted 2nd Lieutenant
1851: 1st Lieutenant
1856: Captain
August 31, 1861: Brigadier General
November 29, 1862: Maj. General effective June 18, 1862
May 13, 1864: Lieutenant General
Maj. Gen. George G. Meade
Portrait by Mathew Brady
1831: West Point Graduate: 19th of 56
1831: Brevet 2nd Lieut. - 3rd U.S. Artillery
First Assignment in Florida fighting Seminole Indians
Winter 1831: Promoted to 2nd Lieutenant
1836: Resigned from U.S. Army
Worked as Civil Engineer in several states
1842: Reenlisted as 2nd Lieutenant in Corps of Topographical Engineers
1846-1848: Mexican-American War
September 21-23, 1846: Battle of Monterrey - Brevet 1st Lieutenant for gallant conduct
After the war, designed five light houses on the East Coast from New Jersey to Florida
1851: Promoted to 1st Lieutenant
1856: Promoted to Captain
1857: Relieved Lt. Col. James Kearney on the Lake Survey mission of the Great Lakes
1860: First detailed report of the Great Lakes is published
August 31, 1861: Appointed Brigadier General based on strong recommendation of Pennsylvania governor Andrew Curtin
Assigned command of 2nd Brigade of Pennsylvania Reserves which was recruited early in the war
Initially in construction of the defenses around the capital
Command a brigade in Pennsylvania Reserves, Division of the Army of the Potomac
Early 1862: Served under Maj. Gen. Irvin McDowell in the I Corps
June 1862: Pennsylvania Reserves detached to the Peninsula Campaign
June 26, 1862: Battle of Mechanicsville - held in reserve
June 27, 1862: Battle of Gaines Mill - held in reserve
June 30, 1862: Battle of Glendale - Shot 3 times arm, leg and back
Partially recovered his strength for the Northern Virginia Campaign
August 29-30, 1862: Second Battle of Bull Run - Made a heroic stand on Henry House Hill protecting the rear of the retreating Army of the Potomac
Start of the Maryland Campaign, received command of 3rd Division, I Corps
September 14, 1862: Battle of South Mountain
September 17, 1862: Battle of Antietam - Replaced Gen. Hooker when he became wounded. Was selected by Gen. McClellan over more senior generals - Was wounded in the thigh
December 13, 1862: Battle of Fredericksburg - Made the only breakthrough of Confederate lines at the southern end of the battlefield
November 29, 1862: Promoted to Maj. General of Volunteers effective June 18, 1862 - Major in Regular Army
Received command of V Corps
May 1-4, 1863: Battle of Chancellorsville - Hooker was too timid and held Meade's command in reserve
Hooker resigned as commander of the Army of the Potomac
June 28, 1863: Early mourning hours, a message from President Lincoln informs Gen. Meade he is Hooker's replacement. Was President's fourth choice.
July 1-3, 1863: Battle of Gettysburg
Was criticized by President Lincoln for not aggressively pursuing Lee's Army
Promoted to Brigadier General in Regular Army with the Thanks from Congress
Army of the Potomac becomes hobbled with transfer of XI and XII Corps transferred to Western Theater
October 9-November 9, 1863: Bristoe Campaign
November 26-December 1, 1863: Mining Run Campaign
March 1864: Lt. Gen. Grant appointed commander
of Union Armies
Meade offered to resign as he did not want to stand in the way of Grant choosing the right man. Grant assured Meade he had no intention of replacing him.
Grant shared his headquarters with Meade for the rest of the war
May 4-June 24, 1864: Overland Campaign
May 31-June 12, 1864: Battle of Cold Harbor
June 1864: Meade discovered the press was to mention him on in conjunction with setbacks
June 1864-May 1865: Siege of Petersburg
July 30, 1864: Battle of the Crater - Approved Maj. Gen. Burnside's plan to plant explosives in a mine shaft under the Union lines. At the last minute, instructed Burnside to replace the well trained Black division with a less risky course by substituting an untrained and poorly led white division. It resulted in a huge failure.
May 13, 1864: After Spotsylvania, Grant requested Meade by promoted to Major General. "Meade has more than met most sanguine expectation. He - - - the fittest officers for large commands."
March 29-April 9, 1865: Appomattox Campaign
January 10, 1868: Appointed governor of Reconstruction Third Military District in Atlanta
At the End of the war, was only outranked by Generals Grant, Halleck, and Sherman
Boatner, Mark M. III. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: David McKay, 1967. p 539-540
George Meade. 7 March 2020. web. 23 April 2020
Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Blue Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State, 1964. p315-317