Major General George Gordon Meade Monument
George Meade (1815–1872) was a career military officer from Pennsylvania who is best known for his role as a Union general during the Civil War.
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This impressive memorial to George Gordon Meade stands along Pennsylvania Avenue, NW in front of the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse. Meade was a career U.S. Army officer who led forces during several major battles, including Antietam and Fredericksburg, but is best known for defeating General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg. Unlike many Civil War generals, there were no calls to erect a memorial to Meade after his death in 1872 because he was deeply unpopular with Lincoln, Grant, and his fellow officers. He did remain a hero, however, in his home state of Pennsylvania which on October 18, 1913, commissioned a statute of him that would be given as a gift to the United States and placed in Washington, D.C. The total cost of the memorial and its installation was $400,000 with the sculptor, Charles Grafly, receiving $85,000.
The memorial was formally dedicated on October 19, 1927, and was one of the last Civil War monuments erected in Washington, D.C. By the time of the dedication, only a few Civil War veterans were able to attend the ceremony. In 1969, the monument was removed from its original location at Union Square and placed in storage to make room for the construction of the Capitol Reflecting Pool. The memorial was repaired and placed in a new plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue, NW in 1983. A formal rededication took place on October 3, 1984.
The Major General George Meade Statue stands 18 feet tall. The sculptor has conceived a circle of figures carved in marble and allegorically embodying qualities essential to the character of a great general. General Meade, in the uniform of a Civil War officer, stands in the focal point of the circle. Behind him is the figure of War whose broad wings surmount the sculpture. Around the circle are figures representing Energy, Military Courage, Fame, Progress, Chivalry, and Loyalty outlined against the sweep of War’s long wings. Chivalry and Loyalty to the left and right of Meade hold his cloak and standard of his achievements. The marble and granite sculpture rests on a granite base and is surrounded by a small plaza and public park.
