George G. Meade's personal correspondence is only a small segment of the total correspondence included in this collection. This group of materials offers deep insight into Meade's thoughts and reflections on his military service and his family life. The majority of letters are addressed from Meade to his wife, Margaretta (who he calls "Margaret"). He writes to her from the field, often shortly after the completion of battles, to report on his welfare and the health of their son George, who served alongside his father at Gettysburg and during other conflicts.

Meade's letters to his wife are often tender, yet they frequently contain detailed descriptions of military strategies and conditions on the front. The letters are vivid, and illustrate Meade's attention to detail and planning. He evaluates other military leaders and discusses strategic successes and losses. He describes his life as a soldier during the Mexican-American and Civil wars, and laments his distance from his family for prolonged periods. The stress of distance is pronounced in the letters from Meade to Margaret during the final illness and death of their son John Sergeant ("Sergie") in 1864-1865.

This correspondence includes a group of letters that were formerly pasted into a scrapbook titled "Mexican War letters." The majority of these letters are addressed to Margaretta Meade, but there are two folders that contain miscellaneous letters and an index from the old scrapbook.

0.6 Linear feet

The Family series is comprised of the papers of Colonel George Meade (General Meade's son) and Margaretta Meade, with some memorabilia from General Meade's career. The memorabilia includes Meade's honorary degree from Harvard University and various membership certificates. The series includes two scrapbooks--one documenting the life and service of General Meade (Volume 35), and the other compiled at the death of his son George in 1897 (Volume 36). The scrapbook about General Meade's life contains clippings about his accomplishments, obituaries, and commemorative writings upon his death. The other scrapbook, compiled by Colonel Meade's family, contains clippings, letters of sympathy, and calling cards from mourners.

Included in George Meade's papers are manuscripts and typescripts for his book The Life and Letters of General Meade (Boxes 5-7); correspondence from military figures and friends about his father's life and service in the Civil War (Boxes 2-3); and general correspondence, both incoming and outgoing (Box 2). His outgoing correspondence is primarily composed to his mother Margaretta during the Civil War, though there are a few letters to his brother "Sergie". These letters report on his health, the welfare of his father, and general military matters. Like his father, George uses his correspondence to update his family about the outcome of battles and to inform them of his and General Meade's safety after intense conflicts.

Margaretta Meade's papers are a smaller segment of this series, and are made up of several folders of incoming correspondence (Box 4). There are a group of letters written on the death of General Meade, and a few folders that contain correspondence praising her husband's service to the country. There is also a folder of letters in response to a request Mrs. Meade had put out to military figures for their photographs and autographs, which were intended for use at the 1864 Sanitary Fair in Philadelphia.

2.3 Linear feet

This significant group of drawings and cartographic materials represents the scope of George G. Meade's careeer as a topographical surveyor and mapmaker. Meade's student drawings from West Point include carpentry and architectural drawings, drawings of fortifications and batteries, and a perspective portfolio. His works from the 1840s and 1850s include surveys from the Mexican-American War along the Nueces River and the Texas coast; maps and drawings of Florida, some of which include designs for light houses to be constructed; and coastal surveys from Massachusetts, South Carolina, San Francisco, and Lake Huron. There are a number of printed maps of Florida, Texas, Mexico, Virginia, and other southern states included in this series.

The largest group of maps in this series are military maps from campaigns during the Civil War. These maps document the movement of the Army of the Potomac between Pennsylvania and Virginia. Some provide position markers showing where Union and Confederate troops marched, and they often highlight significant battles along the lines. Box 10 contains maps produced or used by the Army of the Potomac in the Civil War campaigns from Pennsylvania to Virginia. Box 11 contains a wider array of maps, including coastal surveys, manuscript and printed maps of Texas and Mexico, as well as maps of Florida, Virginia, and Georgia. Oversize maps housed in flat files are listed by folder title below.

1.1 Linear feet

George G. Meade's military papers are the largest group of documents in the collection. They cover the span of his career, but highlight Meade's work as a commanding officer in the Civil War and during Reconstruction, with the bulk of the materials falling between the years 1863 and 1868. The appointments, assignments and reports in Box 7 document Meade's various appointments to survey and reconnaissance missions. Meade's reports offer brief glimpses into his work, and include some drafted during the Mexican-American and Civil wars. In these reports, Meade provides detailed descriptions of conditions on the ground, suggests areas for military encampments, and offers information about troop movements. Box 8 contains correspondence, orders and reports from the Civil War and Reconstruction. Much of the correspondence is between Meade, Ulysses S. Grant, and other high-ranking military officials in the Union Army. Some of these documents discuss strategies for attack, court martial hearings, and other sensitive topics. Box 8 also includes excerpts from Meade's field diary during the final year of the Civil War, field returns from various battles, operational reports, a list of losses sustained by the Army of the Potomac, and a survey notebook from Florida.

The volumes in this series are the most comprehensive record of Meade's military command. They contain official military correspondence, orders, reports, and sketches of troop positions from the Civil War and during the early years of Reconstruction. They are organized chronologically, and each volume is devoted to either incoming or outgoing correspondence (with a few noted exceptions; see list below for title and date range of each volume). Volume 1 documents a wide span of time, from a few days before the Battle of Gettysburg to the beginning of May 1865. This volume contains some telegrams from President Lincoln pardoning soldiers who deserted, along with correspondence from Ulysses S. Grant and Edward Stanton. Volume 2 covers the Maryland and Pennsylvania campaigns, including the Battle of Gettysburg and reconnaissance of Williamsport. Volume 3 documents the march to Centreville, actions taken at James City and Bristoe Station, and the Army of the Potomac's advance to the Rappahannock. Volume 4 covers the period immediately before, and a few months after, the Battle of Gettysburg, with several maps showing troop positions, correspondence from President Lincoln, and news of Lee's retreat. Volume 5 contains reports from Gettysburg and documents troop movements between Gettysburg and Virginia. Some of the reports discuss the dead buried at Gettysburg, including Confederate soldiers.

Volume 6 discusses the Army's advance to and crossing of the Rappahannock, actions at Kelly's Ford and Rappahannock Station, their advance on Mine Run, and an action at Locust Grove. Volume 7 contains correspondence received about these same actions, as well as about the campaign of 1864. This volume includes reports from the field and drawings of troop locations. Volume 8 contains communications related to the advance to the Rapidan and conflict at Spotsylvania, as well as the establishment of a hospital at Fredericksburg. Volumes 9-12 deal with the Army of the Potomac's advance on Richmond, including the crossing of the Rapidan, Pamunkey, Tolopotomy, Chickahominy, and James Rivers. Also included are reports about the battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Coal Harbor, Bethesda Church; and actions at Meadow's Bridge and Trevillian Station, on the Potomac and New York rivers, and the Weldon Railroad. Volumes 13-21 document the Petersburg operations leading up to the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia. These volumes cover the operations at Deep Bottom; the battles at Petersburg mine, Reams Station, Hatcher's Run; and numerous enemy attacks. Volumes 22-24 cover the attack on Petersburg and the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, including the movement to the Battle of Hatcher's Run, the rebel attack on Fort Stedman, the capture of Petersburg, and the Battle of Sailor's Creek. Volumes 25-29 document the promotion of Reconstruction governments in the southern states. These materials discuss the Reconstruction Acts; votes in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida regarding the adoption of new constitutions; complaints about voting inequities; and tallies of votes for and against ratification of the state constitutions. The sheets tallying votes are broken into votes by white and "colored" voters. Volume 29 describes a "breach of peace in Atlanta"; the narratives include discussions of violence in racially divided groups.

5.0 Linear feet