Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1872-11-14
Death Of Maj. Gen. George G. Meade.

Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade,
LII. d., Commander of the Depart
ment of the East, died at his head
quarters in Philadelphia, Pa, Wednes-
day evening, the 9th, of pneumonia,
after a brief illness. Maj. Gen. Meade
was born in Cadiz, Spain, where his
father was resident as Consul of the
United States, in 1916, and graduated
at West Point, June 80, 1885. He
comes of good stock; to his fathers
diplomatic talent and persistence the
United States owes the acquisition of
the territory OF Florida and an impor,
tant portion of Southern Alabama.
Maj. Gen. Meade entered the army as
I'd Lieutenant of artillery, but remained
only about year, and having resigned
his commission in October, 1886, lived
in retirement nearly six years. On the
18th Of July, 1912, he received the
appointment of Second Lieutenant of
Typographical Engineers, and, in that
capacity, served through the Mexican
war, distinguishing himself in the bat
ties of Palo Alto and Monterey. He
was breveted First Lieutenant Sept.
23, 1916, tor bravery at Monterey /;
was engaged in the geodetic survey of
the northern lakes from 1856 to 1861,
and on the organization Of the Penn
sylvania Reserve Cops under General
Mccall was appoited Brigadier Cen
eral, August 81, 1861, and entrusted
with one of the three brigades.
Con. Meade was at the battle Of
Mechanicsville on the Doth of June,
1862, and also took part in that of
Gaines Mill on the next day, A few
days afterward he was wounded, but
not seriously. At the battle of Ante
tam, September 7, 1862, he had two
horses killed under him, and was again
slightly wounded. In the battle of
Fredericksburg, in December 1862,
when the Union forces, under General
Burnside, after severe fighting, were
defeated with great loss, Meade distin-
guished himself by u display of cour-
age, and two days afterward suppressed
ed General Butterield in the command
of the Fifth Army Corps. On the
28th of June, 1868, General Meade
was appointed Commander in-Chief of
the Army of the Potomac. He com
menced his career in this capacity by
defeating the Confederate forces, under
General Longstreet, at the battle of
Gettysburg. This success made him
for a time the most popular of Federal
commanders, and he held his position
at the head of the Union forces until
the nomination of General Grant. in
April. 1864, as Commander-in-chief,
Meade served under Grant, in his NOM
orable campaign against Richmond,
and was intrusted with one of the
earliest of the important operations
the passage Of the Rapdan-when,
having been fercely assailed by Lees
forces, he narrowly escaped utter de
feat, the final charge of the Confeder-
ates having been rendered less effective
by the wounding Of General Long
street. After the close of the war
General Meade was assigned to the
Department of the East, including the
New England States, New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania and Fort Della
ware, and had his headquarters at Phil
adelphla. On the 10Th Of April, 1865,
the Fenans having invaded Canada,
Generan Meade went to Eastport, took
command in person, and collected
troops at that point, and he also, acting
under General Grants orders, assigned
General Barry to the command Of the
frontier during the second invasion, in
the June following. Since that period
he has remained in command of the
Department which he controlled at the
time of his death.