“An angry man with a squeaky voice,” the newly installed Commanding General of the Union’s Army of the Potomac first appears in the story in the wee hours of the second day of battle. Despite his position, he is not prominent in the story, in contrast to the larger-than-life presence of his Confederate counterpart, Lee. On the eve of the final day, he wants to withdraw, but is voted down by all his corps commanders.
Get the entire The Killer Angels LitChart as a printable PDF.
George Gordon Meade Character Timeline in The Killer Angels
The timeline below shows where the character George Gordon Meade appears in The Killer Angels. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Monday, June 29, 1863: Chapter 1: The Spy
...go to meet Lee, Harrison tells Longstreet that Joseph Hooker has been replaced by George Meade as commander of the Army of the Potomac. By the time they arrive at Lee’s...
(full context)
...early morning, something soft in his eyes, pain in his face.” Lee agrees that with Meade newly in charge, there may be opportunity to move quickly and cut off the Union...
(full context)
Monday, June 29, 1863: Chapter 2: Chamberlain
Meade’s message authorizes Chamberlain to shoot any man who refuses to fight. Chamberlain marvels at the...
(full context)
...in, Chamberlain warns him about any appearance of favoritism, and, on Tom’s complaint that General Meade has his own son as adjutant, Chamberlain points out, “Generals can do anything. Nothing quite...
(full context)
Monday, June 29, 1863: Chapter 3: Buford
...But Buford knows that there is no guarantee that the message will proceed to General Meade and thence to Washington by morning. A cavalryman at heart, he laments the necessity of...
(full context)
...troubled by his vision: that Lee’s army will dig in on the high ground, while Meade belatedly orders the Union army to make a valiant and foolhardy charge.
(full context)
Wednesday, July 1, 1863: Chapter 1: Lee
...the Confederates dig in defensively between the Union army and Washington. But Lee argues that Meade is new to command and will move slowly. He thinks that “all the bright theories...
(full context)
Wednesday, July 1, 1863: Chapter 2: Buford
...for holding the high ground. Reynolds sends messengers to all his commanders and to General Meade to join him with all haste. Buford is surprised to find that he feels relief...
(full context)
Wednesday, July 1, 1863: Chapter 3: Lee
...they cannot move off in the face of the enemy. Furthermore, he is sure that Meade will not move quickly. He feels “only one urge: to press on and get it...
(full context)
Wednesday, July 1, 1863: Chapter 4: Chamberlain
...men had ever loved. But soon Chamberlain knows that it cannot be true and that Meade, an unknown quantity, will lead them. Chamberlain thinks about the requirements for an officer that...
(full context)
Wednesday, July 1, 1863: Chapter 6: Lee
...costly and inadvisable. Lee mentions Longstreet’s proposal to retreat and occupy a defensive position between Meade and Washington; the two generals respond with disdain. Early assures Lee that if Longstreet can...
(full context)
Wednesday, July 1, 1863: Chapter 7: Buford
Suddenly, General Meade arrives, an “angry man with a squeaky voice.” Buford is pushed into the shadows as...
(full context)
Thursday, July 2, 1863: Chapter 1: Fremantle
...the Yankees from attacking. Longstreet and Hood laugh, then Longstreet sobers and tells Fremantle that Meade is not the type to attack, and he has only just arrived and is without...
(full context)
Thursday, July 2, 1863: Chapter 2: Chamberlain
...across the Pennsylvania fields through the heat of the day. When they stop to rest, Meade sends back a message which Chamberlain is to read to the troops. The order mentions...
(full context)
Friday, July 3, 1863: Chapter 2: Longstreet
Meade moves earlier than expected, engaging Ewell. Lee and Longstreet move toward the front, met by...
(full context)
...goes over the battle plan again, confident that because of the strength of his flanks, Meade must have left the center of his line in a weaker state. He radiates confidence...
(full context)
Friday, July 3, 1863: Chapter 3: Chamberlain
...of the army. The lieutenant guiding them to their new position, Pitzer, tells Chamberlain that Meade had nearly ordered the whole army to withdraw that morning, but had been voted down...
(full context)
When Chamberlain passes the generals again, Meade has joined them. Chamberlain can “feel the massed power … like being near great barrels...
(full context)
