General George Meade Essay, Research Paper

social studies

George Meade

Do you know who was the general for the Second Battle of Bull Run? Everyone knows

what the Second Battle of Bull Run is but who was the general? Some people even know

that the North won that battle. Most people do not know that General George Meade

defeated General Lee at that battle. General George Mead accomplished much during

wartime.

General George Meade had many accomplishments during wartime. First of all, he

defeated General Lee at the Second Battle of Bull Run. Why would not General Meade

crush General Lee at this battle and end the war there? Facts say that heavy fog and rain

forced Meade to stop. Likewise, on June 1, !863 a surprise encounter forced his troops

into the Battle of Gettysburg, the greatest battle on American soil. This battle came about

when General Lee’s army needed shoes. The two forces met here on accident and fought to

a victory for the North. Lee acknowledged his defeat and retreated to Virginia. Not only

did Meade serve in the Civil War, but also served in the Mexican War. He served in the

battles of Palo Alto, Monterey, and Veracruz. During these he served under General

Zachory Taylor. To sum up, General George Meade accomplished many things during his

time at war.

Each of General George Meade’s accomplishments had one major effect on how

life is today. To start, if Meade had not defeated Lee at the Second Battle of Bull Run the

war would not have started off positively for the North. This was important because the

soldiers gained their confidence when they won this battle. If the North would have lost

the entire war the U.S. would be two different countries. Secondly, Meade’s defeat of Lee

at the accidental Gettysburg. This was a battle that turned the war around and gave the

North the advantage. This was the North’s first victory in a long time. Finally, if the U.S.

had not have won the Mexican War, Where Meade served as a soldier, the U.S. would not

have gained the southwest portion of the country. This ,as you remember, was where the

gold rush took place that caused the country to spread out over the land. As has been

shown, Meade’s accomplishments had many effects on how life is lived today.

There are many things that would be different if George Meade had never lived.

For one thing, the North might not have won the first battle of the war causing the soldiers

to lose confidence and maybe lose the war. If the South had won the war the U.S. would

be split into two countries right now. Also, if the north did not the greatest battle on

American soil, Gettysburg, it could have been the end of the war right there at Gettysburg.

If the North would have lost the war the U.S. would be two different countries, as was said

earlier. Last, if the U.S. had not won the Mexican War we would have lost some of our

land to Mexico. The U.S. would have also not had the Gold Rush that took place in

California. In conclusion, the country would have been very different if George Meade had

never lived.

General George Meade accomplished much during wartime. Most people do not

know that Meade defeated Lee at the Second Battle of Bull Run . Some people even know

that the North won that battle. Everyone knows what the Second Battle of Bull Run is but

who was the general?

WORKS CITED

Cleaves, Freeman. “Meade, George Gordon.” Collier’s Encyclopedia. Vol. 15.

1989.

Sefton, James E. “Meade, George Gordon.” The World Book Encyclopedia. Vol.

15. 1994.

“Meade, George G.” Compton’s Interactive Encyclopedia. Version 2.01vw.

Carlsbad,

California: Compton’s New Media, 1994. CD-ROM.

“Meade, George Gordon.” Encyclopedia Americana. Vol. 18. Danbury,

Connecticut:

Grolier, 1990.

“Meade, George Gordon.” Who’s Who in American History. Historical Volume.

St. Louis,

Missouri: Van Hoffman Press,1967.