George Gordon Meade
TITLE
Major General
WAR
&
AFFILIATION
Civil War
/
Union
DATE OF BIRTH - DEATH
December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872
George Gordon Meade was one of the few Union generals who began his life and career in a foreign country. 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 1831, and attended the school primarily as a result of his financial situation. He graduated 19th out of 56 members of the class in 1835 and served briefly during the Seminole War before retiring. He worked for some time as a civil engineer until 1842, 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. During the Mexican-American War, he was present at the battles of Resaca de la Palma, Palo Alto, and Monterey, but saw no major combat. He returned to topographical work after the war in 1857 near the Great Lakes until his services were again called upon at the outbreak of the Civil War.
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/george-g-meade
