MEADE, GEORGE GORDON (1815-1872), American soldier, was born of American parentage at Cadiz, Spain, on Dec. 31, 1815. He graduated from West Point in 1835, and served in Florida against the Seminoles. Resigning from the Army in 1836 he became a civil engineer and constructor of railways, and was engaged under the war department in survey work, until 1842 when he re-entered the army as second-lieutenant in the corps of the topographical engineers. In the war with Mexico he was on the staffs successively of Gens. Taylor, J. Worth and Robert Pat terson, and was breveted for gallant conduct at Monterey. Until the Civil War he was engaged in various engineering works, mainly in connection with lighthouses, and later as a captain of topographical engineers in the survey of the northern lakes.
In 1861 he was appointed brigadier-general of volunteers, and had command of the 2nd brigade of the Pennsylvania reserves in the Army of the Potomac, under Gen. McCall. Receiving a severe wound at the action of Frazier's Farm, he was absent from his command until the second battle of Bull Run, after which he obtained the command of his division. He distinguished himself at the battles of South Mountain and Antietam, also at Fredericks burg he and his division won great distinction by their attack on the position held by Jackson's corps, and Meade was promoted to the rank of major-general of volunteers. Soon afterwards he
was placed in command of the V. Corps. At Chancellorsville he displayed great intrepidity and energy, and on the eve of the battle of Gettysburg was appointed to succeed Hooker. In the famous three days' battle he inflicted a complete defeat on Gen. Lee's army. His reward was the commission of brigadier-general in the regular army. In the autumn of 1863 a war of manoeuvre was fought between the two commanders, on the whole favourably to the Union arms.
Grant, commanding all the Armies of the United States, joined the Army of the Potomac in the spring of 1864, and remained with it until the end of the war; but he continued Meade in his com mand, and successfully urged his appointment as major-general in the regular army (Aug 18, 1864). After the war Meade com manded successively the military division of the Atlantic, the de partment of the East, the third military district (Georgia and Alabama) and the department of the South. He died at Philadelphia on Nov. 6, 1872.
See I. R. Pennypacker, General Meade ("Great Commanders" series, 1901).