George Gordon Meade Memorial

George Gordon Meade Memorial

Quick Facts

Location:

Washington, DC

Significance:

Civil War General

Amenities

2 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Public Transit

George Gordon Meade (1815–1872) was a career U.S. Army officer and Union general best known for his pivotal role as the commander of the Union army at the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. Born in Cádiz, Spain, to an American family, Meade graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1835 and began a long military career that included early service in the Seminole and Mexican-American wars and later work as a topographical engineer. When the Civil War erupted, he returned to active service, rising from brigade command to lead the Army of the Potomac. In July 1863, Meade decisively defeated Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg, turning the tide in the Eastern Theater. He continued to command the Army of the Potomac through the Overland, Richmond-Petersburg, and Appomattox campaigns under Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant’s overall direction, contributing to the Confederacy’s ultimate defeat. After the war, Meade served in various posts until his death in Philadelphia in 1872 from complications related to pneumonia and earlier wartime injuries.  

The George Gordon Meade Memorial honors this distinguished military career with a striking sculptural group located on the 300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue NW, in front of the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse. A gift from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the memorial was designed by sculptor Charles Grafly with architects Grant and Edward P. Simon and carved by the famed Piccirilli Brothers. It was dedicated on October 19, 1927, in a ceremony attended by President Calvin Coolidge, Pennsylvania’s governor, and other dignitaries.

The memorial’s design is rich in allegory. At its center stands Meade in full military uniform, emerging from a symbolic “cloak of battle” that is being removed by figures representing Loyalty and Chivalry. Surrounding him are six additional figures embodying Energy, Fame, Progress, Military Courage, and other qualities the artist believed essential to great leadership. Behind this circle rises a winged figure representing War, linking arms with Military Courage, suggesting that such virtues are forged through conflict. A gold finial bearing the Pennsylvania state seal tops the monument.

Originally placed in Union Square west of the Grant Memorial on the National Mall, the statue was removed in 1969 to accommodate freeway construction. It remained in storage for 14 years before being re-installed at its current Pennsylvania Avenue location in 1984, where it stands today as part of the city’s collection of 18 Civil War monuments.