George Meade was born on Dec. 31, 1815, in Cadiz, Spain. Meade had been educated at U.S. Military Academy. He joined the Union Army in the American Civil War. As a general, he fought at the battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. In July 1863, he considered that the turning point of the war was defeating the Confederates at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania . Meade fought in many battles. He fought at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg. After the Civil War, Meade was in command of military department and a division in the East and South headquarters. Meade died of pneumonia on Nov. 6, 1872.