George Gordon Meade and the War in the East (Volume 23)

Civil War Campaigns and Commanders Series

by Ethan S. Rafuse

Even though he defeated Robert E. Lee in the Civil War's greatest battle, George Gordon Meade has never enjoyed a prominent place in the pantheon of Union war heroes. To most students of the Civil War, he is merely the man who was lucky enough to benefit from Confederate mistakes at Gettysburg, but whose shortcomings as a commander compelled Abraham Lincoln to bring in Ulysses S. Grant from the West to achieve victory.

In this, the first book-length study of the general to appear in a generation, Ethan S. Rafuse challenges the notion that Meade was simply the last in a long line of failed Union commanders in the East. Instead, George Gordon Meade and the War in the East offers a balanced, informative, and complete, yet concise, reconsideration of the general's life and career. It also provides keen analysis of the military and political factors that shaped operations in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, and delineates the sources of tension between Washington and the Army of the Potomac high command that played such an important role in shaping the war in the Eastern Theater. This study will appeal to anyone with an interest in Meade and the politics of command in the Civil War, and encourage reconsideration of traditional interpretations of the Union war effort in the East.

Genres: American Civil War, Biography

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Sean Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid and straightforward account of Meade's military record. Rafuse's thoughts on what went wrong in Virginia, namely that Lincoln and Halleck were wrong, is well argued. However, it is doubtful Rafuse will ever overcome the vapid worship of Saint Abraham, the Jesus Christ of American history (he died for your sins, otherwise known as slavery).

[Stephen Morrissey · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Gettysburg is America's most famous battle, it's possible that General George Gordon Meade is America's least famous "great captain" of military history. Despite emerging victorious in the south-central Pennsylvania battle of 1863, Meade has remained obscured in history, overlooked by those enamored with Grant, Sherman and Sheridan, or looking south for Confederate leaders like Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. Ethan Rafuse gives Meade much of his well-deserved due in this short biography of the general. From assuming command at Gettysburg to leading the Army of the Potomac, directly under Grant, to Richmond and Appomattox in 1864-65, Meade demonstrated a remarkable competence and composure missing from the leadership eras of Pope, Burnside and Hooker. Countless times, Meade's prognostications and instincts are borne out by historical revisionism, particularly in the failure to capture or destroy Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at Williamsport shortly after Gettysburg.

More than anything, Meade was a good soldier - loyal; trustworthy; and always dedicated to following orders. While lacking the color of a full biography, this book should help resuscitate Meade's tactical and strategic legacies in the American Civil War.

[Eric Burroughs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A succinct book on Meade’s career. He definitely suggests that McClellan’s Peninsula plan was a sound military move and Meade and other McClellan men thought so. It was, however, politically impossible. He probably expands on this more in his McClellan book which is on my long list.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly brief overview of Meade's life and Civil War career; it doesn't go into detail about any single battle or campaign that he was in. While not bad as a bare-bones biography, people who have read extensively about the war are unlikely to learn much that is new.