M.A. Kleen

47-year-old Maj. Gen. George G. Meade was not President Abraham Lincoln’s first choice to lead the Army of the Potomac. In June 1863, Meade was the unassuming commander of the V Corps. He was not among the highest-ranking corps commanders in the Army, nor was he the most daring or politically connected. However, Lincoln’s patience with Joseph Hooker as commander of the Army was wearing thin. When Hooker offered to resign after his request to withdraw troops from Harpers Ferry was rejected, Lincoln eagerly accepted. Meade did not seek to replace Hooker, saying to his wife that the assignment was “more likely to destroy one’s reputation then to add to it,” but several other corps commanders recommended him. On the morning of June 28, 1863, a messenger arrived at Meade’s tent southwest of Frederick, Maryland to inform him that President Lincoln had placed him in command of the Army of the Potomac.