Life span: 12/31/1815 to 11/06/1872TabsLife SummaryFull name: George Gordon MeadePlace of Birth: Cadiz, SpainBurial Place: Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, PABirth Date Certainty: ExactDeath Date Certainty: ExactGender: MaleRace: WhiteSectional choice: NorthOrigins: Free StateNo. of Spouses: 1No. of Children: 7Family: Richard Worsam Meade (father), Margaret Coates Butler (mother), Margaretta Sergeant (wife, 1840)Education: West Point (US Military Academy)Occupation: MilitaryOtherOther Occupation: EngineerRelation to Slavery: White non-slaveholderMilitary: US military (Pre-Civil War)Union ArmyUS military (Post-Civil War) Note Cards George Gordon Meade (American National Biography) ScholarshipThe bespectacled Meade resembled more the scholar than the soldier, but being at times short-tempered, he lived up to a popular description of him as a "damned old goggle-eyed snapping turtle." He saw to it that each corps in his army had a gallows or shooting post for "Friday executions." He deserted newspaper correspondents, believing much of their reporting to be inaccurate and to him malicious. Frequently he barred them from his army, only to have them retaliate with still more unfavorable coverage. According to his biographer, Freeman Cleaves, Meade's contributions were so distorted and denigrated by the Radical press that Meade supposed "it soon would be proved that either he was not at Gettysburg at all or that his presence there had been a positive detriment." Press criticism combined with the biased memoirs of grandstanding commanders who had various affiliations with the Army of the Potomac effectively relegate Meade to the background. His reputation has not achieved the high level that it deserves. Herman Hattaway and Michael D. Smith, "Meade, George Gordon," American National Biography Online, February 2000, http://www.anb.org/articles/04/04-00697.html. Events Date span begin Life span End Event 04/27/1863 04/30/1863 The Army of the Potomac concentrates on Chancellorsville in preparation for an attack on Lee 05/01/1863 05/01/1863 Union and Confederate armies collide near Chancellorsville in Spotsylvania County, Virginia 05/02/1863 05/02/1863 "Stonewall" Jackson's flanking movement seizes the initiative in the Battle of Chancellorsville 05/03/1863 05/03/1863 Lee's Army of Northern Virginia forces back entrenched Union forces at the Battle of Chancellorsville 05/05/1863 05/06/1863 The beaten Union Army retreats across the Rappahannock, ending the Battle of Chancellorsville 06/27/1863 06/27/1863 General George Meade appointed commander of the Army of the Potomac, replacing Joseph Hooker 07/01/1863 07/03/1863 Battle of Gettysburg 07/02/1863 07/02/1863 At Gettysburg, Union General Daniel Sickles disregards orders and loses much of his III Corps and his right leg 07/06/1863 07/07/1863 The retreating Army of Virginia reaches the Potomac and finds it flooded and impassable 07/13/1863 07/14/1863 The Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania ends when Lee's troops slip away across the Potomac in the night 08/28/1863 08/28/1863 The troops of the Pennsylvania Reserve present General George Meade with a valuable sword in recognition of his leadership 09/08/1863 09/08/1863 In northern Virginia, units of the Army of the Potomac pass in review before their commander, General Meade 05/05/1864 05/05/1864 The Battle of the Wilderness opens on ground fought over the year before at Chancellorsville 05/06/1864 05/06/1864 In Spotsylvania County, Virginia, the Battle of the Wilderness continues for a second bloody day 05/07/1864 05/07/1864 In Spotsylvania County, Virginia, the Battle of the Wilderness ends and Union maneuvering continues 09/30/1864 10/02/1864 In fighting around Peeble's Farm, Union forces further tighten to ring around the key town of Petersburg 04/04/1865 04/04/1865 At Jetersville, Virginia, Sheridan's Union force blocks the Confederate Army's retreat to Danville 04/05/1865 04/05/1865 In Amelia County, Virginia, Union forces consolidate to block General Lee's retreat towards Danville 05/23/1865 05/23/1865 In Washington D.C., thousands watch as the victorious Army of the Potomac parades through the city 06/10/1865 06/10/1865 In a rainy Philadelphia, General George Meade leads Philadelphia's veterans in a welcome home parade 07/04/1865 07/04/1865 The cornerstone is laid for the Soldiers' Monument at Gettysburg's National Soldiers' Cemetery Major Topics19th-Century ImmigrationGettysburg CampaignMexican War Documents Subject Docs Date Title 06/30/1863 Chicago (IL) Tribune, “Maj. Gen. George G. Meade,” June 30, 1863 07/01/1863 New York Herald, “The Rebel Occupation of Carlisle,” July 1, 1863 07/03/1863 Philadelphia (PA) North America and United States Gazette, “A Desperate Battle At Gettysburg,” July 3, 1863 07/04/1863 New York Times, “The Campaign in Pennsylvania,” July 4, 1863 07/06/1863 New York Times, “Details From Our Special Correspondent,” July 6, 1863 07/06/1863 New York Times, “What Pennsylvania has Escaped,” July 6, 1863 07/07/1863 Chicago (IL) Tribune, “A Great Peril Escaped,” July 7, 1863 08/26/1863 Abraham Lincoln to James C. Conkling, August 26, 1863 06/16/1864 Abraham Lincoln, Speech at Great Central Sanitary Fair, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 16, 1864 11/15/1865 Philadelphia (PA) North American, "Reception of Colored Troops," November 15, 1865 11/25/1865 Milwaukee (WI) Sentinel, "Generals Meade and Butler on Negro Soldiers," November 25, 1865 Addressee Docs Date Title 07/14/1863 Abraham Lincoln to George Gordon Meade, July 14, 1863 Images George Gordon Meade George Gordon Meade, detail George C. Meade and his generals, Culpeper, Virginia, September 1863 General Meade and his Staff, 1863 Meade's Headquarters, Cemetery Ridge, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 1863, detail Sword Presentation to General George Meade from the Pennsylvania Reserves, August 28, 1863, artist's impression, zoomable image Sword Presentation to General George Meade from the Pennsylvania Reserves, August 28, 1863, artist's impression, detail Sword Presentation to General George Meade from the Pennsylvania Reserves, August 28, 1863, artist's impression, further detail Bibliography Chicago Style Entry Link Sears, Stephen W. Gettysburg. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003. View Record Cleaves, Freeman. Meade of Gettysburg. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1960. View Record Sauers, Richard Allen. Gettysburg: The Meade-Sickles Controversy. Washington, DC: Brassey's, 2003. View Record
George Gordon Meade (American National Biography) ScholarshipThe bespectacled Meade resembled more the scholar than the soldier, but being at times short-tempered, he lived up to a popular description of him as a "damned old goggle-eyed snapping turtle." He saw to it that each corps in his army had a gallows or shooting post for "Friday executions." He deserted newspaper correspondents, believing much of their reporting to be inaccurate and to him malicious. Frequently he barred them from his army, only to have them retaliate with still more unfavorable coverage. According to his biographer, Freeman Cleaves, Meade's contributions were so distorted and denigrated by the Radical press that Meade supposed "it soon would be proved that either he was not at Gettysburg at all or that his presence there had been a positive detriment." Press criticism combined with the biased memoirs of grandstanding commanders who had various affiliations with the Army of the Potomac effectively relegate Meade to the background. His reputation has not achieved the high level that it deserves. Herman Hattaway and Michael D. Smith, "Meade, George Gordon," American National Biography Online, February 2000, http://www.anb.org/articles/04/04-00697.html.
Sword Presentation to General George Meade from the Pennsylvania Reserves, August 28, 1863, artist's impression, zoomable image
Sword Presentation to General George Meade from the Pennsylvania Reserves, August 28, 1863, artist's impression, detail
Sword Presentation to General George Meade from the Pennsylvania Reserves, August 28, 1863, artist's impression, further detail
