George Meade

George Meade
Birth name	George Gordon Meade
Nickname	"Old Snapping Turtle"
Born	(1815-12-31)December 31, 1815 Cadiz, Spain
Died	November 6, 1872(1872-11-06) (aged 56) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Buried at	Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Service/branch	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1835–1836; 1842–1872
Rank	Major general (USA)
Commands held	V Corps Army of the Potomac Department of the East
Battles/wars	Second Seminole War Mexican–American War American Civil War Peninsular Campaign Northern Virginia Campaign Battle of Antietam Battle of Fredericksburg Battle of Chancellorsville Battle of Gettysburg Bristoe Campaign Mine Run Campaign Overland Campaign Richmond-Petersburg Campaign Appomattox Campaign

George Gordon Meade (1815-1872) was one of the few Union Army generals in the American Civil War who was born and began his career in a foreign country.^[1] He was born in Cadiz, Spain on December 31, 1815.^[2] He came to the United States after his family was financially ruined during the Napoleonic Wars.^[1] Meade was made commander of the Union Army of the Potomac just before the Battle of Gettysburg.^[3] After the Civil War he stayed in the army, serving in the South during the Reconstruction. Meade served as commissioner of Fairmount Park in Philadelphia until his death in 1872.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "George G. Meade". Civil War Trust. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
2. ↑ "George G. Meade". History. A&E Television Networks, LLC. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
3. ↑ "George Meade: Hero at Gettysburg?". History Engine. University of Richmond. Archived from the original on 16 May 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2016.