George Meade was a Union Army general during the American Civil War. He is best known for leading the Union forces to victory at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. Meade was born in Cadiz, Spain, and graduated from West Point in 1835. He served in the Mexican-American War and the Seminole Wars before the Civil War. During the Civil War, he commanded the Army of the Potomac and was promoted to major general in 1862. He was later promoted to commander of the Army of the Potomac in June 1863.