★ ★ Meade, George Gordon

George Gordon Meade​

George Meade entered the West Point Military Academy in 1831 and graduated four years later, ranking 19th in a class of 56 members. In 1836 he resigned from the army to pursue a career in civil engineering. In 1842, however, he returned to the army and was appointed 2nd Lieutenant in the Corps of Topographical Engineers. He served in the Mexican-War. Otherwise, Meade was employed as a military engineer: constructing lighthouses, breakwaters, and completing survey work. After the beginning of the Civil War, Meade, was made a brigadier general and given command of a Pennsylvania brigade. Soon he was given command of a division in the First Corps, followed by a promotion to command of the Fifth Corps. On June 28, 1863, Meade was appointed by President Lincoln to command the Army of the Potomac, a position Meade held until the end of the war, although he was later overshadowed by the direct supervision of a new general-in-chief, Ulysses S. Grant. Meade is best known for leading the army that defeated Confederate General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Born: December 31, 1815

Birthplace: Cadiz, Spain

(His father, Richard Meade, was stationed in Cadiz, Spain as a United States Naval Agent at the time of his birth.)​

Father: Richard Worsham Meade I 1778 – 1828

(Buried: Saint Mary's Catholic Churchyard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)​

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Mother: Margaret Coats Butler 1782 – 1852

(Buried: Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)​

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Wife: Margaretta Sergeant 1814 – 1886

(Buried: Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)​

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Married: December 31, 1840 at St. Peters Church, Philadelphia, PA.

Children:

John Sergeant Meade 1841 – 1865​

(Buried: Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)​

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Captain George Meade Jr. 1843 – 1897​

(Buried: Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)​

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Margaret Butler Meade 1845 – 1905​

(Buried: Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

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Spencer Meade 1850 – 1911​

(Buried: Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)​

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Sarah Wise Meade Large 1851 – 1913​

(Buried: Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)​

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Henrietta Meade 1853 – 1944​

(Buried: Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)​

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William Meade 1855 – 1891​

(Buried: Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)​

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Signature:

Education:

1835: Graduated from West Point Military Academy – (19th​ in class)​

Occupation before War:

1835: Brevet 2nd​ Lt. United States Army, 3rd​ Artillery​

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1835 – 1836: 2nd​ Lt. United States Army, 3rd​ Artillery​

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1836: Resigned from United States Army on October 26th​​

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1837 – 1838: Assistant Engineer, Survey of Mississippi Delta​

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1838 – 1840: Assistant Engineer of Texas Boundary

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1840 – 1842: Assistant Engineer of Northeastern Boundary​

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1842 – 1851: 2nd​ Lt., United States Army Topographic Engineers​

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1846: Brevetted 1st​ Lt. for Gallantry at Battle of Monterrey Mexico​

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1851 – 1856: 1st​ Lt., United States Army Topographic Engineers​

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1856 – 1863: Captain, United States Army Topographic Engineers​

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Civil War Service:

1856 – 1862: Captain, United States Army Topographic Engineers

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1862 – 1863: Major, United States Army Topographic Engineers​

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1861 – 1862: Brigadier General, Union Army Volunteers Infantry​

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1861 – 1862: Commander of Pennsylvania Reserves Brigade​

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1861: Served in the Battles of Dranesville, Virginia​

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1862: Served in the Virginia, Peninsula Campaign​

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1862: Wounded during the Battle of Glendale, Virginia​

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1862: Commander of First Army Corps, Army of the Potomac​

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1862: Temporary Corps Commander during Maryland Campaign​

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1862 – 1864: Major General, Union Army Volunteers Infantry​

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1862 – 1863: Commander of Fifth Army Corps, Army of the Potomac​

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1862: Corps Commander at Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia​

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1863: Corps Commander at Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia​

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1863: Major, United States Army Engineers​

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1863 – 1865: Commander of Union Army of the Potomac​

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1863: Union Army Commander at Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania​

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1863 – 1864: Brigadier General, United States Army​

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1863: Union Army Commander during Bristoe, Virginia Campaign​

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1863: Union Army Commander during Mine Run, Virginia Campaign​

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1864: Offered his resignation to Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant​

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1864 – 1872: Major General, United States Army​

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1865: Not present when General Robert E. Lee Surrendered to Grant​

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Occupation after War:

1864 – 1872: Major General, United States Army​

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1865 – 1866: Commander Military Division of the Atlantic​

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1865 – 1868: President of Board of Retiring Disabled Officers​

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1865 – 1872: Honorary Member Pennsylvania Society of the Cincinnati​

1866: Member of Board for Recommendations for Brevets​

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1866 – 1872: Commissioner of Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, PA.​

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1866 – 1868: Served in Department of the East Headquarters

Meade's Grave, Laurel Hill Cemetery

Photo

Ron Cogswell on July 1, 2012.

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1867: Member of Board to select depots for Army Clothing​

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1868 – 1869: Commander U.S. Army Department of the South​

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1869 – 1872: Commander of U.S. Army Military Division of Atlantic​

Died: November 6, 1872

Place of Death: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Cause of Death: Pneumonia

Age at time of Death: 57 years old

Burial Place: Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

FOR FURTHER READING

• Searching for George Gordon Meade: The Forgotten Victor of Gettysburg, by Tom Huntington, 2015
• Meade: The Price of Command, 1863–1865, by John G. Selby, 2018

 

[Nathan Stuart]

Just as a follow-up, it's interesting that Grant wrote to Stanton after the Wilderness that Meade and Sherman were the best officers for large command that he had encountered when he endorsed them to be promoted to major general in the regular army.There was definitely respect between the two of them.

Ryan

Good example. Thanks. That correspondence definitely indicates the respect that Grant had for the military abilities of Meade (and Sherman). People can certainly respect each other in their work, without necessarily personally liking one another.

 

[gentlemanrob]

Happy Birthday General Meade!

 

[USS ALASKA]

Birthday Boy...

Collection: Master of Military Art and Science Theses
Title: Major General George Gordon Meade and the philosophy of mission command at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Author: Bassett, Gregory A.
Branch/Country: United States Army

Abstract
This research studies Meade's leadership during the Battle of Gettysburg through the lens of the Army's 2019 leadership doctrine, specifically the philosophy of mission command. Gettysburg was Meade's first battle as commander of the Union Army of the Potomac and occurred only three days after he assumed command. This paper explains the Army doctrine on the philosophy of mission command from the March 28, 2014 version of ADRP 6-0 which contains change two. It then assesses Meade's leadership during each of the three days of battle and how it enabled his corps commanders. Each of these days provided Meade with different and difficult problems. While acknowledging that the philosophy of mission command was not Army doctrine or formally codified for several more decades, the analysis of Meade's leadership during Gettysburg shows that he led in a matter that resembles modern doctrine. This historical example can be useful when envisioning leadership in a communications degraded environment.

Series: Command and General Staff College (CGSC) MMAS thesis
Focus Program: Military History
Publisher: Fort Leavenworth, KS : US Army Command and General Staff College,
Date, Original: 2019-06-14
Date, Digital: 2019-06-14
Release statement: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)
Repository: Combined Arms Research Library
Library: Combined Arms Research Library Digital Library
Date created: 2019-11-14

Master of Military Art and Science Theses

cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org

Cheers,
USS ALASKA