Why is george meade important

Following this death, the Association for Public Art initiated a campaign to finance an appropriate memorial for the late general. In , a statue of Meade was unveiled in Fairmount Park by his grandsons while over 30, people watched, becoming the first major commission project of the Association. The statue stands at In addition, at the Union League of Philadelphia, a room is named after the general and a portrait sits in the very room.

Skip to main content. Google Tag Manager. Who was General George Meade? By Jensen Toussaint. The battle at Glendale left Meade with severe wounds. Meade took part in in the Battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor throughout , earning a promotion to the rank of major general. Due to his brusque personality and quick temper, Meade was never a popular figure with the media, and his contributions to later battles and the eventual Union victory were often downplayed in the Northern press.

Grant and General William T. Meade remained in the U. Army after the end of the Civil War and served as the commanding officer of the Division of the Atlantic, headquartered in Pennsylvania. In Meade briefly served in Atlanta as the governor of the Third Military District, a temporary government that controlled Georgia , Alabama and Florida during Reconstruction.

Meade spent most of his later life in Philadelphia, where he served as commissioner of the Fairmount Park Art Association. Having long suffered from complications caused by his war wounds, Meade died in at the age of 56 following a bout with pneumonia. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present.

George Pickett was a U. George McClellan was a U. Army engineer, railroad president and politician who served as a major general during the Civil War. McClellan was well liked by his men, but his reticence to attack the Confederacy with the full force of his army put him at odds with President The 29th U. George Washington was commander in chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and served two terms as the first U.

The son of a prosperous planter, Washington was raised in colonial Virginia. As a young Waring Jr. Educated at West Point, George S.

Born in Cadiz, Spain, Meade came to America after he and his family were financially ruined during the Napoleonic Wars. He received an appointment to the United State Military Academy, in , and attended the school primarily as a result of his financial situation. He graduated 19th out of 56 members of the class in and served briefly during the Seminole War before retiring.

He worked for some time as a civil engineer until , when he asked to be reinstated to the army, and was appointed a second lieutenant in the Corps of Topographical Engineers. He served with the corps in New Jersey and Florida, constructing breakwaters and lighthouses. He returned to topographical work after the war in near the Great Lakes until his services were again called upon at the outbreak of the Civil War.

On August 31, , Meade was promoted from captain to brigadier general of volunteers, and was given command of a Pennsylvania brigade. He helped work on the defenses of Washington, then joined the army of the Potomac under General George B. At Glendale, he received several serious wounds. After recovering, he was sent to lead a brigade in the corps of Irvin McDowell at the battle of Second Manassas. He was then sent to replace John F.