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The beginning
George Meade was Born on December 31, 1815, in Cadiz, Spain -
College
Graduating in 1835 from West Point. -
Battle of Monterey
George Meade was was brevetted to first lieutenant for "gallant conduct" in this battle -
Siege of Veracruz
A group of 12,000 volunteers and soldiers offloaded supplies, weapons, and horses near Veracruz Included some of the Commanders in this 20 day long siege were Robert E. Lee, George Meade, Ulysses S. Grant, James Longstreet, and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson -
General Meade was Annoounced the Brigadier general, USV
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Military Expierence Prior to the Civil war
George was a brigade commander in the Peninsula Campaign and the Seven Days Battles, including the Battle of Glendale, were he was severly injured. -
The 20th Maine Regiment was created
under the command of Col. Adelbert Ames. This regiment, was Col. Strong Vincent's Brigade of the 1st Division of the V Corps of the Army of the Potomac. The brigade consisted of the 16th Michigan Infantry, 44th New York Infantry, 83rd Pennsylvania Infantry, and the 20th Maine Infantry Regiments. -
20th Maine regiment fights in the Battle Of Fredericksburg
The regiment, really didnt play a drastic role in this battle, but they held their ground very well, and did not make and costly mistakes. -
the Battle of Gettysburg
The regiment was on the far left flank, and played a very important role. When the confederates attacked the regiment, which was very low on ammo, the 20th Maine responded by charging downhill with fixed bayonets, surprising and scattering the Confederates, thus ending the attack on the hill. If the union lost this battle, the Confederates could have ended the war right there. The actions of the 20th Maine, were a turning point in the war. -
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
Maines 20th regiment fought in this battle. They did not do anything spectacular that changed the outcome of the battle, as the battles result was inconclusive. -
2:30
Meade, was sending General Wright’s VI Corps from the north, but he was criticized for moving the men, as they had to move all the way from the Union right flank to the new left flank. -
During Cold Harbor
Meade, did not give specific orders too attack the confederates, which left it up to the corps commanders to decide where they would hit the Confederate lines and how they would coordinate with each other. Baldy Smith wrote that he was "aghast at the reception of such an order, which proved conclusively the utter absence of any military plan." which is ovbiously a great insult against Meade. -
at 7:00 am
Meade ordered his three corps commanders on the left to assault the confederates. -
at 12:30
General Grant, wrote to Meade "The opinion of the corps commanders not being sanguine of success in case an assault is ordered, you may direct a suspension of further advance for the present." basically saying that his army was done for the day. -
End of Cold Harbor
Meade did more harm than he did good in this battle that was won by the confederates. He did a poor job of communicating, and did not really give many of his troops a positive moral. This battle, is one of Meades worst constructed battles that he has ever been apart of. -
death
He died in Philadelphia November 6, 1872 as a result of old war wounds complicated by pneumonia.
