804………(Born
Spain)
George G. Meade
(Ap’d Pa.)………19
Military History.
– Cadet at the Military Academy, Sep. 1, 1831, to July 1, 1835, when he was
graduated and promoted in the Army to
Bvt. Second Lieut., 3d
Artillery, July 1, 1835.
Served: in the
Florida War against the Seminole Indians, 1835-36;
(Second Lieut., 3d Artillery, Dec. 31, 1835)
and on Ordnance duty, July
11, 1836, to Oct. 26, 1836.
Resigned, Oct. 26, 1836.
Civil History. –
Asst. Engineer in the service of the United States on Survey of the Delta of
the Mississippi, 1837-38, -- of Texas Boundary, 1838-40, -- and of
Northeastern Boundary of the United States, 1840-42.
Military History.
– Re-appointed in the U. S. Army with the rank of
Second Lieut., Top.
Engineers, May 19, 1842.
Served: as Asst.
Top. Engineer on Survey of the Northeastern Boundary Line between the United
States and British Provinces, 1842-43, -- and in Delaware Bay, 1844-45; in
Military Occupation of Texas, 1845-46; in the War with Mexico, 1846-47,
being engaged in the battle of Palo Alto, May 8, 1846, -- Battle of
Resaca-de-la-Palma, May 9, 1846, -- Battle
(Bvt. First Lieut., Sep. 23, 1846, for Gallant
Conduct in the Several Conflicts at Monterey, Mex.)
of Monterey, Sep. 21-23,
1846, -- and Siege of Vera Cruz, Mar. 9-29, 1847; in the construction of
Light-houses in Delaware Bay, and mapping surveys of Florida Reefs, 1847-49;
in Florida Hostilities against the Seminole Indians, 1849-50; in
construction of Light-houses in Delaware Bay, 1850-51, -- and of Iron
Screw-pile Light-house on Carysfort Reef,
(First Lieut., Top. Engineers, Aug. 4,1 851)
Fla., 1851-52, and on Sand
Key, Fla., 1852-56; and on Geodetic Survey of
(Captain, Top. Engineers, May 17, 1856, for
Fourteen Years’ Continuous Service)
the Northwestern Lakes,
1856, -- and in charge of all the Northern Lake Surveys, 1857-61.
Served during the
Rebellion of the Seceding States, 1861-66: in command
(Brig.-General, U. S. Volunteers, Aug. 31,
1861)
of brigade of “Pennsylvania
Reserve Corps,” on the right of the lines before Washington, D. C., Aug. 31,
1861, to June 9, 1862, being present at the Action of Dranesville, Va., Dec.
20, 1861; in the Virginia Peninsular Campaign, June, 1862, being engage in
the Battle of Mechanicsville, June 26, 1861, -- Battle of Gaines’ Mill, June
27, 1862, --
(Major, Top. Engineers, June 18, 1862: Corps
of Engineers, Mar. 3, 1863)
and Battle of Glendale,
June 30, 1862, where he was severely wounded; on sick leave of absence,
disabled by wound, July-Aug. 1862; in Northern Virginia Campaign, Aug.-Sep.,
1862, being engaged in the Battle of Manassas, Aug. 29-30, 1862; in command
of the division, 1st Corps, except Sep. 17-29, 1862, while
temporarily commanding Corps (Army of the Potomac), in the Maryland
Campaign, Sep.-Nov., 1862, being engaged in the
(Major-General, U. S.
Volunteers, Nov. 29, 1862, to Aug. 18, 1864)
Battle of South Mountain,
Sep. 14, 1862, -- Battle of Antietam, Sep. 16-17, 1862, -- and pursuit of
the enemy, and march to Falmouth, Va., Oct.-Nov., 1862; in command of
division, 1st Corps, Dec., 1862, and of 5th Corps,
Dec. 25, 1862, to June 28, 1863 (Army of the Potomac), -- in the
Rappahannock Campaign, being engaged in the Battle of Fredericksburg, Dec.
13, 1862, -- and Battle of Chancellorsville, May 2-4, 1863; in command of
the Army of the Potomac, June 28, 1863, to July 1, 1865; in the Pennsylvania
Campaign, commanding the Army of the Potomac, June-July, 1863, being engaged
in the Battle of Gettysburg,* July 1-3, 1863, -- and pursuit of the enemy of
Warrenton, Va.,
(Brig.-General, U. S. Army, July 3, 1863)
July, 1863; in the Rapidan
Campaign, commanding the Army of the Potomac, which was engaged in the
Combat of Bristoe Station, Oct. 14, 1863, -- Actions at Kelly’s Ford and
Combat of Rappahannock Station, Nov. 7, 1863 – and Mine Run Operations, Nov.
26 to dec. 3, 1863; in the Richmond Campaign (May 4, 1864, to Apr. 9, 1865),
commanding the Army of the Potomac, which was engaged in the Battle of the
Wilderness, May 5-6, 1864, -- Battles about Spottsylvania, May 8-20, 1864,
-- Battles of North Anna, May 23-26, 1864, -- Combat of Tolopotomy, May 29,
1864, -- Combat of Bethesda Church, May 30, 1864, -- Battle of Coal Harbor,
June 1-3, 1864, -- Assaults on Petersburg, June 16-18, 1864, -- Movement and
Action on Jerusalem Road, June 22, 1864, -- Petersburg, Mine Assault, July
30, 1864, -- Actions for the Occupation of the Weldon Railroad, Aug. 18-25,
1864, -- Reconnoisance and Combat
(Major-General, U. S. Army, Aug. 18, 1864)
of Peeble’s Farm, Sep. 30,
1864, -- Movement and Action on Boydtown Road, Oct, 27-28, 1864, -- Combat
of Hatcher’s Run, Feb. 5-6, 1865, -- Combat of Ft. Steadman, Mar. 25, 1865,
-- Assault and Capture of Petersburg, Mar. 29-Apr. 2, 1865, which had been
besieged since June 18, 1864, -- Pursuit of Rebel Army, Apr. 3-9, 1865, --
Battle of Sailor’s Creek, Apr. 6, 1865, -- and Capitulation of General Lee
with the Army of Northern Virginia, at Appomattox C. H., Apr. 9, 1865; and
in command of the Military Division of the Atlantic (embracing the Atlantic
States to include South Carolina), July 1, 1865, to Aug. 6, 1866;† as
President of Board for Retiring Disabled Officers, Nov. 27, 1865, to Jan. 2,
1868, -- of Board to make recommendations for Brevets to the grade of
general officers, Mar. 14-24, 1866, -- and of Board to select depots for
Army Clothing in New York city, 1867.
Served: in
command of the Department of the East, headquarters, Philadelphia, Pa., Aug.
6, 1866, to Jan. 2, 1866, -- of Third Military District, Jan.-Aug., 1868, --
of Department of the South, Aug., 1868, to Mar. 12, 1869, -- and of Military
Division of the Atlantic, Mar. 12, 1869, to Nov. 6, 1872.
Civil History. –
Degree of LL. D. conferred by Harvard College, Cambridge, Mas., 1865.
Commissioner of Fairmont Park, Philadelphia, Pa., 1866-72.‡
Died, Nov. 6, 1872, at
Philadelphia, Pa.: Aged 57.
*Received the thanks
of Congress, Jan. 28, 1864, “for the skill and heroic valor which, at
Gettysburg, repelled, defeated and drove back, broken and dispirited, beyond
the Rappahannock, the veteran army of the Rebellion”
†Received, July 4,
1866, from the Union League Club of Philadelphia, Pa., a gold medal, as a
token of the gratitude of his countrymen to “The Victor at Gettysburg, the
Deliverer of his State, the Faithful Soldier of our Country:” and swords of
honor from various places.
‡An equestrian statue,
to the memory of General Meade, was unveiled, Oct. 18, 1887, in Fairmount
Park, Philadelphia, Pa., of which, till his death, he had been the most
active commissioner in the laying out and adorning this spacious public
pleasure ground.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
Major-General
George Gordon Meade was born, Dec. 31, 1815, under the American flag, at
Cadiz, in Spain, his father being the United States Consul at that port.
Shortly after his birth, with his parents he went to Philadelphia, where his
early boyhood was passed, and while quite young was sent to a school at
Georgetown, D. C., then taught by the late Chief of Justice Chase. Thence
he went to a military school near Philadelphia, his parents having
determined that h e should enter the service of his country, for which he
received the appointment of Cadet, was graduated from the U. S. Military
Academy, and promoted in the Army, July 1, 1835, to be a Second Lieutenant
in the Third Artillery. Upon joining his regiment in Florida, he served a
short time against the Seminole Indians; then, for a few months, he was on
Ordnance duty; and, Oct. 26, 1836, resigned his commission on account of his
ill health.
After leaving the
Army, he entered the civil service of the United States as an Assistant
Engineer, first under Captain Talcott, engaged upon a hydrographic
examination of the Delta of the Mississippi, and then on the Surveys of the
Texas and the Northeastern Boundaries of the United States.
Meade, being
somewhat recovered in health, in 1842 re-entered the Army as a Second
Lieutenant of Topographical Engineers; joined General Taylor in 1845, while
occupying Texas; in the Mexican War participated in the battles of Palo
Alto, Resaca-de-la-Palma, and Monterey, being brevetted for his gallantry in
the latter conflict, and accompanied the mass of the regular forces to
General Scott’s line of operations, serving under him in the Siege of Vera
Cruz.
Subsequently he
was the Superintending Engineer of Light-house constructions on the Florida
coast, having charge of the important screw-pile lights on Sand Key and
Carysfort Reef; and, from 1857 to 1861, was Chief Engineer of the great
Geodetic Survey of the Northern Lakes, in conducting which he won a
deservedly high reputation, and acquired that fertility in expedients, habit
of quick decision, and method of careful observation which prepared him for
the practice and responsibilities of higher command.
Meade was a
captain his corps when the cry of Secession range throughout the South;
immediately upon President Lincoln’s call for Volunteers, being then on duty
at Detroit, he offered his services as Colonel of a Michigan regiment, a
position he was not allowed to accept; however, in August, 1861, he was
appointed a Brigadier-General, U. S. Volunteers, and placed in command of
the Second Brigade of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, stationed at
Tenallytown, D. C., where he assisted in the construction of Ft.
Pennsylvania, one of the works for the defense of the Capital.
The Pennsylvania
Reserves, in March, 1862, crossed into Virginia and were incorporated with
the Army of the Potomac, becoming the second division of General McDowell’s
First Army Corps. After the evacuation of Manassas, Meade held command of
his brigade in the Department of the Shenandoah, whence he was transferred
to the Army on the Peninsula in time to participate in the Seven Days’
operations before Richmond, being engaged in the conflicts of
Mechanicsville, June 26, and Gaines’ Mill, June 27, and in the Battle of
Glendale, June 30, where he was severely wounded while commanding his
division after the capture of his seniors, General McCall and Reynolds.
The urgency of
the military situation did not allow Meade to remain long absent; hence,
before he fully recovered from his wound, he rejoined the Army of the
Potomac, then being reorganized for the Maryland campaign, in which, at the
head of his division, he gallantly participated in the Battle of South
Mountain; and, when General Hooker was wounded in the Battle of Antietan, he
assumed command of the First Corps, fighting bravely during the remainder of
the day. He had two horses killed under him, and was himself slightly
wounded, but never left the field. After Hooker’s return to the head of his
corps, Meade resumed command of his division in the Army of the Potomac,
then under General Burnside, and was, Nov. 29, 1862, promoted to be a
Major-General of Volunteers for his past meritorious services.
At the Battle of
Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, 1862, in command of 4,500 of the left grand
division of the Army, Meade led his men boldly up to the enemy’s works,
broke through the Confederate lines, reached the heights they had occupied,
and got into the presence of their reserves; but for want of support, and
having lost more than one third of his whole force, including a large
proportion of officers, he was reluctantly compelled to abandon an almost
attained victory and withdraw to the left bank of the Rappahannock.
After the
brilliant services as a division commander, Meade was placed at the head of
the Fifth Corps of the Army of the Potomac, of which, Jan. 26, 1863, Hooker
became General-in-Chief. Confronting it, upon the opposite side of the
Rappahannock, lay the victorious Confederate army in strong intrenchments,
extending twenty-five miles from Port Royal to Banks Ford, the left of which
position, at the end of April, Hooker made a well-designed but badly
executed attempt to turn by crossing the upper Rappahannock and moving down
the right bank of the stream to engage the enemy. The mass of the Army of
the Potomac, on the first of May, was out of the “Wilderness” in clear, open
ground, where every arm could freely act in the accomplishment of the
proposed turning movement. Everything presaged a complete success, but,
though out of the woods in one sense, the sequel proved the reserve to
Hooker, who, unexpectedly to every one, gave orders to return to
Chancellorsville, from which fated field, after a long series of blunders
and disasters, the proud Army of the Potomac recrossed the Rappahannock. In
these operations Meade bore a conspicuous and daring part, and was assigned
to the responsible duty of covering the retreat of our forces while
recrossing the swollen river, a task he accomplished with masterly movements
and soldierly skill, winning the highest commendations.
The Confederate
sortie to the Susquehanna followed early in June, Lee’s victorious columns
designing to advance to Philadelphia, and perhaps even to New York, to
dictate terms of separation of the States. Hooker, lingering a short time
on the Rappahannock in doubt as to the enemy’s intentions, followed in
pursuit on an interior line east of the Blue Ridge, so as to cover the
Capital, both armies crossing the Potomac simultaneously, at far-separated
fords. Hardly were the armies across the river when Hooker asked to be
relieved of his command, a request instantly granted, General Buckingham
being sent as a special messenger with the President’s order of June 28 to
General Meade to assume the command of the Army of the Potomac, an honor so
little anticipated by him that, when suddenly awakened in his tent in the
vicinity of Frederick, Md., he supposed that Buckingham had been sent by the
War Department to arrest him for some unknown offense. Upon assuming
command, the new chief, in modest terms, issued an appropriate order to the
army, in the organization of which he made few changes, and at once
vigorously combined his movements to intercept the enemy and flight a
decisive battle.
Buford’s cavalry,
on the first of July, encountering the enemy’s advance, was driven back to
Seminary Ridge; Reynolds was killed; and Howard, unable to oppose the
strongly re-enforced Confederates, retreated to Cemetery Hill, where the
over cautious foe fortunately did not attack him that night. Meade was
fourteen miles away, bringing order out of confusion, and arranging his
defensive lines at Pipo Creek for the ultimate struggle, when, at one
o’clock that afternoon, hearing of Howard’s perilous position, he
immediately sent forward Hancock to assume the command, and soon after
hastened himself to Gettysburg. At midnight Meade reached his destination,
and deep in thought stood on that lone Cemetery Hill among its sepulchral
monuments, dimly visible in the misty moonlight. O’erbardened with fearful
responsibility to this crisis of the nation’s fate, his perturbed
imagination might have pictured stalking among the tombs the spectre of the
gasping Union; but shows vanished with the early dawn of the coming morn,
which saw posted all the various corps of the brave Army of the Potomac,
except the Sixth, which, hurrying in hot haste all night, after a forced
march of thirty-two miles, reached its goal at 3 p.m.
That daybreak of
the second of July was the culminating moment of Meade’s life, for his was
the Atropos sword which was to sever or preserve the Union. Crowning the
crest from Culp’s Hill to Round Top lay his embattled army, wedded to
disaster by its late commanders; and before him, along Seminary Ridge, was
the invader of our free soil, equal in numbers, superior in discipline,
enthusiastic with hope, elated with victories, anticipating a new triumph,
assured of insurrection in our rear, sanguine of establishing the
Confederacy of Slavery, and by one bravo below setting at naught the
President’s immortal Proclamation of Emancipation.
It is unnecessary
here to repeat the moving incidents and disastrous chances of the bloody
battle which followed: how Sickles was rescued from his perilous position
by Humphreys’ resolution and valor; how Warren’s quick eye saw and seized
the Little Round Top, the flanking key to our front; how the exterior
defenses of Culp’s Hill were lost and won; how both armies unflinchingly
withstood the terrible cannonade of the opposing hosts; how that mile-wide
column of the best Southern infantry charged across the rain-soaked valley
to Hancock’s serried lines, rooted to the rugged height; how the
annihilating artillery of Hunt and Tyler swept away thousands with the besom
of destruction; how those three young heroes, Gibbon, Hays, and Webb,
repulsed the furious melee of the desperate advance; how most of that
courageous column of 18,000 was utterly crushed, all of its brigade
commanders killed or mortally wounded, and only a single field officer
escaping unhurt; and how two long summer days of reckless assaults and
fierce conflict had ended in Lee’s utter defeat. The Confederacy, sanguine
of success, had fallen under a Thor thunderblow; Freedom was triumphant, and
“that government of the people by the people and for
the people” had not perished “forever from the earth.” The following day,
July 4, 1864, while the Southern army lay torn and bleeding on the filed of
its overthrow, the loyal North, with wild rejoicing, celebrated the
Anniversary of our insured Independence, made doubly glorious by the twin
victories of Gettysburg in th East and Vicksburg in the West.
The Confederates,
who in their ill-judged attack on Cemetery Ridge had shown much valor and
little generalship, in a pitiless storm rapidly retreated, cautiously
followed by the cavalry and Sixth Corps to the Potomac, which they safely
recrossed on the night of the 13th, much to the President’s
disappointment, who had anticipated their virtual destruction. Lee now
continued his retreat through the Shenandoah Valley and the gaps of the Blue
Ridge till he had interposed the Rappahannock between him and his pursuers.
During the
autumn, heavy draughts were made upon both armies to re-enforce those in
Georgia; various maneuvres followed on either side, resulting in nothing
decisive; several brilliant combats between detached forces were fought; the
well-devised plan to surprise the divided enemy at Mine Run failed of
success; and finally, on the approach of winter, Meade recrossed the Rapidan,
this terminating his campaign.
Grant being
appointed, Mar. 2,1864, Lieutenant-General, took personal command of all our
forces in Virginia, including the Army of the Potomac, which continued under
the immediate control of Meade, who, for his brilliant services at
Gettysburg, had been promoted in the regular army from a Major of Engineers
to a Brigadier-General.
With over 100,000
men, of which the Army of the Potomac constituted more than three fourths,
Grant opened the Richmond campaign, May 4, 1864, designing to fight the
smaller Army of Northern Virginia where it could be met, crumble it to
pieces by steady pounds, and thus destroy the Confederacy. For this purpose
our forces moved by their left, resulting, as we all know, in the conflicts
and carnage of the battle of the Wilderness, the attacks at Spottsylvania,
the operations on the North Anna, the assaults at Cold Harbor, the passage
of James River, the siege of Petersburg and Richmond, the breaking of the
Confederate intrenchments, the swift pursuit of the flying foe, and the
final capitulation of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox.
In these
campaigns of 1864 and 1865 the position of Meade, responsible for the
conduct of his command, but controlled by a superior in rank, was very
embarrassing; yet he performed his delicate part with high honor to himself,
secured the respect and esteem of his chief, gained the promotion of
Major-General, and won unfading laurels for the Army of the Potomac.
After the war,
Meade, with headquarters at Philadelphia, commanded successively the
Department of the East, the Third Military District, the Department of the
South, and the Military Division of the Atlantic, embracing the Coast States
from Maine to South Carolina inclusive, and was also at the head of several
important Army Boards. Except while temporarily detached during the
reconstruction of Georgia, he remained at his headquarters till he died,
Nov. 6, 1872.
During the
progress of the war, General Meade was presented with a magnificent sword
and accoutrements by the division of the Pennsylvania Reserves which he had
commanded; and gold medal was bestowed, July 4, 1866, by the Union League of
Philadelphia, as a token of the gratitude of his countrymen, to the “Victor
of Gettysburg, the Deliverer of his State, and the Faithful Soldier of his
Country.” He also received the Thanks of Congress, Jan. 28, 1864, “for the
skill and heroic valor which at Gettysburg, repelled, defeated, and drove
back, broken and dispirited, beyond the Rappahannock, the veteran Army of
the Rebellion.”
Besides these
honors for his military achievements, he received civic testimonials to his
high intellectual endowments, and liberal scientific and literary culture,
by being made a member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in 1863,
and of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences in 1865; receiving also
this latter year the degree of LL.D. from Harvard University, Mas.
General Meade,
though not perhaps handsome, had a commanding appearance, being tall in
stature with small compact head, high, broad forehead, prominent nose, and a
mouth of firmness. He was of quick, sensitive, and impetuous temper, and,
to those who thwarted his wishes, even irascible and imperious; but to all
treating him with consideration he was gentle, polished, and courteous, for
by nature he was a genial-hearted gentleman. He had an excellent,
well-poised mind, disciplined by education, cultivated by study, and
strengthened by reflection; hence whatever he undertook was well if not
brilliantly done; and with quick perceptions, clear comprehension, and sound
judgments, all his faculties were under his ready command for instant use.
Fortunately he chose the profession of a solider, for which he had a decided
aptitude; but, had he become a lawyer, his judicial character of mind, his
keen sense of justice, and his nice discrimination between right and wrong,
would have made him eminent at the bar. This was conspicuously shown in his
administration of civil affairs, and yet more in his military decisions,
which were free from prejudice and personal jealousy, he ever to
subordinates giving the just credit for meritorious services, and from
superiors withholding nothing for himself which was not truly his own and
fairly won. In these, as in all other respects, he had the strictest
integrity of character.
Meade was also a
vigorous writer, a fluent talker, and, judging from his brief addresses,
might have become a conspicuous speaker. His conversation, easy and
graceful, showed his nice intuition and judgment, his close observation of
passing events, his knowledge of men and books, his keen perception of
character, and his cultivated taste in art. None of our officers made a
better impression on the many foreign soldiers who visited his camp, or upon
the distinguished civilians who after the war enjoyed his society.
But it was in his
military sphere that Meade was not eminent. In the Army he always commanded
the high respect of his superiors, and, though a strict disciplinarian, was
very popular with his subordinates. Of others, however, he required no more
than of himself, and without seeking to ingratiate himself with his command,
he always possessed its confidence and esteem. He sought not the bubble
reputation at the cannon’s mouth, but aimed at solid results from studied
plans carried out by cautious Fabian movements. Though as brave and
impetuous as Murat, he never trusted to dash and audacity for success; hence
he was seldom a hero with the masses. He believed in perseverance and hard
pounding; among our generals most resembling, though not the equal of, “sure
and steady Thomas,” who afterwards on in the West as Meade gained in the
East the turning victory of the war. Immortal twin triumphs, Gettysburg and
Nashville!
Had Meade been
more trustful of fickle fortune, after Gettysburg he would have vigorously
pursued and possibly have destroyed the Army of Northern Virginia before it
crossed the Potomac; but, with his methodical habits, and oppressed with the
fearful responsibility resting upon him, he was unwilling to risk another
great battle, which if lost might have jeopardized our cause, at least for a
season. He felt that he had done his best, and was deeply stung by the
President’s dissatisfaction, to which he proudly replied: “Having performed
my duty conscientiously, and to the best of my ability, the censure of the
President is in my judgment so undeserved that I feel compelled most
respectfully to ask to be immediately relieved from the command of this
Army.” The President, though grieved that the enemy had escaped from the
Caudine Forks, was not disposed, in his generous nature, to be unjust to
Meade, who of course was continued in his command. It should be borne in
mind, in this connection, that Meade was totally unprepared to assume the
high responsibility when suddenly thrust upon him; that he did not know the
full capcities of his Army; that he was unfamiliar with supreme command;
that in less than a week after assuming it he had fought a great and
successful battle; and that, under all these circumstances, he was unwilling
to risk his laurels in a doubtful contest with a well-trained antagonist
driven to desperation.
The victory of
Gettysburg over the largest and best appointed army of the Confederate was
the culminating glory of Meade, who from the beginning of the Civil War had
been constantly in the fore-front; had given his best energies to the great
cause; had at the time shrunk from a duty; had never sought a preferment;
had cheerfully obeyed every order; and had borne without a murmur every
responsibility imposed upon him.
General Meade was
in every sense a true man, with no Janus sides of character to be worn to
suit occasion. He was a gallant, chivalrous solider, a wise and judicious
counselor, a true and steadfast friend, the soul of highest honor, and to
wife and children the devoted husband and affectionate parent.
He was buried in
Laurent Hill Cemetery, his funeral being attended by the President of the
United States, his Cabinet, and many members of Congress; the Governor,
Judiciary, and Legislature of Pennsylvania; the Mayor and Corporate
authorities of Philadelphia; Officers of the Regular and Volunteer Army and
Navy, Marine Corps, and Army of the Potomac; numerous Military and Civic
Associations; and a large concourse of friends, associates, and citizens.
