Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade

President Abraham Lincoln said on July 21, 1863, "Gen. Meade has my confidence as a brave and skillful officer, and a true man." At the climax of the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, commander of the Union Army of the Potomac, observed the closing moments of the battle from a ridge near his headquarters and encouraged his troops. Meade was a West Point graduate and a professional soldier. A stern disciplinarian with a temper, his soldiers nicknamed him "Ol Snappin' Turtle." Though not a favorite with reporters, he earned the respect of officers and men who served under him. Only three days after being appointed commander of the Union Army of the Potomac, he faced Robert E. Lee in perhaps the greatest battle of the Civil War. After the battle, Lincoln was disappointed that Lee's defeated army was allowed to escape into Virginia, but he soon set aside criticism and expressed gratitude to Meade. Congress also praised Meade and his men for repulsing, defeating, and driving back the veteran army of the Rebellion.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania · United States