Born December 31, 1815
Cádiz, Spain
Died November 6, 1872
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Union general

Led Northern forces to victory
at the Battle of Gettysburg

"The results of [Meade's] victory [were] priceless. . . . The charm of Robert Lee's invincibility [was] broken.

Writer George Templeton Strong

George G. Meade.

General George G. Meade will always be best remembered for his involvement in the famous Battle of Gettysburg. During this mid-1863 battle in the Pennsylvania countryside, Meade guided the Union's Army of the Potomac to a smashing victory over the South's Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee (1807–1870; see entry). This Union victory is often cited as a major reason why the North eventually was able to win the war.

But despite his role in this important Northern triumph, Meade has received less praise for his performance than a number of other Civil War generals. His cautious pursuit...