. Leading American soldiers. 5, was appointed second-lieutenantin the Third Artillery. But Meade had no real taste for amilitary life, or rather for what military life stood translatedinto terms of academy and garrison duties. His mind,though repelled by routine formulas, was keen to get intotouch with realities, and no sooner did he obtain a threemonths furlough on leaving the academy than he plungedinto civilian activities, working with a railroad sun-eyingparty. After such a start it is not surprising to find thatone year after receiving his commission Meade resigned itto enter civil life.
. Leading American soldiers. 5, was appointed second-lieutenantin the Third Artillery. But Meade had no real taste for amilitary life, or rather for what military life stood translatedinto terms of academy and garrison duties. His mind,though repelled by routine formulas, was keen to get intotouch with realities, and no sooner did he obtain a threemonths furlough on leaving the academy than he plungedinto civilian activities, working with a railroad sun-eyingparty. After such a start it is not surprising to find thatone year after receiving his commission Meade resigned itto enter civil life. A natural taste for engineering, his West Point education,and a family connection got him work on the Alabama,Florida, and Georgia Railroad, then being came surveying work, some of it for the United StatesGovernment on the Texas border and at the mouth of theMississippi. In 1842 he reentered the army as a topo-graphical engineer in order to take charge of lighthou-cconstruction in the Delaware district. -44. CL^^, /^^u^u_ GEORGE GORDON MEADE 245 Three years later Meade saw military life once was ordered to join Taylors army in Texas, and servedin the Mexican campaign, first with Taylor from Palo Altoto Monterey, and later with Scott at Vera Cruz. He appearsto have accomplished the staff duties of an engineer officerto the satisfaction of his superiors, and at Monterey heearned mention for gallantry. After the capture of VeraCruz he returned to Philadelphia to resume his formerduties. In the twelve years that elapsed between the Mexican andthe Civil War, Meade was engaged mostly on one greatwork, the geodetic survey of the Great Lakes. But when,in the spring of 1861, the armed conflict between North andSouth broke out, he was called from his isolated pursuitsto bear a conspicuous part before the world. Meade,through his wife, had influential political friends, and this,together with the dearth of trained officers and his ownmerit, led to his appointm
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectgeneralsunitedstates
