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Following the Union victory at Gettysburg
in 1863, Major General George G. Meade continued commanding the Army of the
Potomac under Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's oversight from 1864. He led
forces through grueling campaigns including the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold
Harbor, and the siege of Petersburg, earning promotion to major general in the
regular army. Though effective, Meade was absent from Lee's surrender at
Appomattox in April 1865, overshadowed by Grant and others like Philip
Sheridan.
Post-war, Meade played a key role in
Reconstruction. From 1865-1866, he commanded the Military Division of the
Atlantic in Philadelphia. He then oversaw the Department of the South
(1866-1868), supervising the formation of state governments in Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina for reentry into the
Union. In 1868, he led the Third Military District in Atlanta, enforcing
Reconstruction policies amid political tensions. He returned to the Atlantic
Division from 1869-1872.
Known for his short temper—earning the
nickname "Old Snapping Turtle"—Meade faced rivalries, including with
Daniel Sickles, who challenged his Gettysburg legacy. Meade died of pneumonia
on November 6, 1872, at age 56, in Philadelphia.
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