, 1872-11-08
OBITUARY.


| General George G. Meade.
In the sudden death, at the comparatively early
| age Of Sc, OF Maj General George 6. Meade,-
| whose decease was no doubt accelerated by tha
wounds and priyations he had suffered, Amer
lca has lost one of her best citizens, and suc-
cessfu and tried soldier, wLo, with brief inter-
mission of two years, has been in her service
since 1885.
General Meade belonged to family honored
in many OF it's branches with public dutiea His
father, Richard Y. Meade, WIS United States
Consul at Cadiz, Spain; and, at this place..
George Was born, in the rooms OF the United
States Consulate, in the year 1916. His brotha1:
R. ". Meade, entered the navy at IN early age,
and rose to the high position Of Commodore
George had the family aptitude for public
duties and, even in his youthful days, the in
press made upon his tastes by the troubled
scenes amid which he Was born marked him for
the army Through family influence, he obtained
an appointment, as Cadet from Pennsylvania.
in the Military Academy at West Point, which he
entered st the age of 10. It is not little curious
to note how, from first to last, Pennsylvania has
been the theatre Of General Meade's activities.
His family Was Pennsy1yanian he entered the
army as Pennsylvanian it was in Pennsvl-
vania that he won the decisive battle Of the
war, which rolled back the invading tide OF
Rebellion, and gave Freedom the empire OF the
continent; and it WAS in Pennsylvania, not
many days march from the scene Of his historic
achievement, that the old hero breathed his
last.
Immediately upon his graduation from West
Point: where he gained fair honors, Brevet Second
Lieutenant Meade, OF the Third Artillery, began,
In 1885, in the Seminole War, the martial career
which carried him through five wars, and enti-
ties him to be called the hero Of fifty battles.
After the close Of his first campaign, be resigned:
his military commission, and engaged IN the,
Typographical service, in the surveys Of the.
Delta OF the Mississippi, the Texas boundar T..
and the northeast boundary between Canada
and the United States. But his military tast es,
as lmperious with him IS military necessity.
Took him back into the army, and in 1945, h<
Was In active service in the military occupat ion OF
Texas. In the war With Mexico, Second Lieu
tenant Meade became conspicuous. He fought
in the battles Of Palo Alto and Resacs de L.
Palma, and bore himself SO yaliantly in the se7.
eral conflicts before Monterey that he WIS pro-
NOTED on the field OF battle, and, as Breyet First
!1eutenant, Was active ct the siege Of Vera
Cruz, in 1847-
4At4od4Le1- 6elf1Ce Ill lu9 seminole war or
1849-50, and engineering duties, which, in 1856,
won him promotion to q Captaincy in the Topo-,
graphical Engineers ';for fourteen years con-
tinuous SERVICE" occupied him till the out
break Of the Rebellion. He was then in
charge of all the Norther., lake surveys,
He has sometimes been reproaehei a. those Who
think - war to be an accidental sci5nce," with
being 'sa soldier Of the lamp" which. by the,
way, Napoleon and Won A[elke did not scorn to-
court; but his conduct St this crisis, as through
rt1+, ,fa oyir1 o3,1
the aspersion. He at once forsook the peaceful
studies Of the Typographical service, and, IN
command OF brigade Of the Pennsylvania Re-
serve Corps, went to the 'front.' at the right Of
the lines before Washington, On the 9lst OF
August, 1861.
Except during the interval when, prosHatcd:
by the severe wounds received at the battle of
Glendale, June 80, 1852, he was absent On sick
leave for few weeks, General Meade Was fight
battles Of D2anesviiie, Mechanicsyils, Gaines
Mi1, Glendale, Manassas, South Mountain, An.
tietam, Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, Gettys-
burg, Bristoe Station, Keley's Ford, Kappa
hammock Station, The Wilderness, Spottsylvania,
Coal Harbor, Petersburg, Jerusalem Road
Boydtown Road, Peebles' Farm, Hacher'a
Run, Fort Steadman, Sailors Greek: and
vas one Of the group of distinguished
Union commanders in whose presence Cen
federate cause at Appotomax Courthouse
During this time, he had been rapidly
promoted to the position OF Major. General in
the regular army, and, for two years, had the
command Of the Army Of the Potomac.
General Meade will be known in history as the
hero of Gettysburg. At~the moment General
Lee undertook his first, last, and most disas-
troas sinvasion,-intended, according to his own
report, to capture Washington, Baltimore, and
the Northern states,-General Hooker vas in
command Of the Army Of the Potomac He
was relieved, at his own request, and General
Meade was appointed in his place. AL the army
was surprised ut this appointment, but no one
more so than Meade himself. He had so frank
1y and freely expressed his conviction Of Hook
ar's incapacity at Charlottesville that the latter
had threatened to arrest him, and when, late at
night, June 27, he WAS awakened in his tent by
the messenger from Washington, his
brought the commission, WAS, whether he had
come with the order for his arrest. Hardie,
erading the question, told him to strike a light,
and then placed in his hands q paper which he
mand of the Army Of the Potomac, and COM
mitting to him all the powers Of the Executive
and the Constitution, in order that he might
have every needed resource to meet the emer-
gency Of the Invasion At this time, he is
described by Swinton as san abba commander,
48 years OF age, in person tall and aim, with
long, grayish, thoughtful face, an excellent tac-
tician, and imbued with sound military ideas.
He Immediately put the army IN motion, with
the determination speedily to bring Lee to bat
tie"
This was the crisis Of the war, and the result
was the salvation Of the Union. Thirty-si1
thousand of the flower Of the Southern infantry
we're left on the field Of that three days. struggle;
alhope ofaid from Northern dissension vas gone;
European Intervention, which the Richmond
Government was assured would follow the sue
cess Of its invasion, was abandoned; and the
Confederate cause began the backward march that
ended at tAppomattox. To General Meado the in-
strument of Divine Providence in this ss scrowning
Congress, On the 2Sth Of January, 1866,
voted resolution Of thanks in behalf Of the
Republic, "for the skill and heroic Ya1or With