Major General George Gordon Meade

The modest gravesite of Union Major General George Gordon Meade
at Philadelphia’s Laurel Hill Cemetery.
On July 2, 1863, as General George Meade rode the lines of battle, he noted a Confederate force approaching a gap in his line along Cemetery Ridge. His son described what happened next. "The General realizes the situation but too well. He straightens himself up in his stirrups as do also the aids who now ride closer to him, bracing themselves up to meet the crisis. It is in the minds of those who follow him that he is going to throw himself into the breach." General John Newton would arrive with reinforcements in time to fill the gap and save that portion of the Union line on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg.

General Meade now rests peacefully under this modest stone which reads, "He did his work bravely and is at rest."

Respectfully,

Randy

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All original material Copyright © 2006. All Rights Reserved

Quote source: "Gettysburg" by Stephen W. Sears