Gettysburg General George Meade and Sykes were two Union Army generals who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Meade was a career United States Army officer and civil engineer, and he was appointed commander of the Army of the Potomac after the Battle of Antietam. Sykes was a veteran of the Mexican-American War and a career United States Army officer. He commanded a division at the Battle of Gettysburg and was later promoted to major general.