Short answers, pulled from the story.
George Gordon Meade was a Union Army major general who commanded the Army of the Potomac from 1863 to 1865. He is best known for defeating Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, one of the turning points of the Civil War.
Meade was appointed on the 28th of June 1863, in the early morning hours, just three days before the Battle of Gettysburg began. He received the news via a messenger from President Abraham Lincoln and arrived at Gettysburg after the first day's fighting had already concluded.
Lincoln was disappointed that Meade did not aggressively pursue Lee's retreating army after the battle. By the 14th of July 1863, Lee's troops had constructed a temporary bridge over the Potomac River and escaped into Virginia. Meade attributed his caution to the Army of the Potomac's exhaustion, casualty losses among senior officers, and the need to protect the hard-won victory.
Meade directed construction of several lighthouses in Florida and New Jersey between 1851 and 1856. These included the Carysfort Reef Light in Key Largo, Sand Key Light in Key West, Jupiter Inlet Light in Jupiter, Sombrero Key Light in the Florida Keys, Barnegat Light on Long Beach Island, Absecon Light in Atlantic City, and Cape May Light in Cape May. He also designed a hydraulic lamp used in several American lighthouses.
Meade earned the nickname Old Snapping Turtle because of his notoriously short temper. Colleagues described him as sociable and intellectual in peaceful conditions, but under the stress of war he became prickly and abrasive. He was respected and trusted by his peers and troops, but was not considered an inspiring leader.
Meade commanded the Third Military District and the Department of the South, directly overseeing the formation of state governments in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina for reentry into the United States. When Georgia's governor refused to accept the Reconstruction Acts of Congress, Meade replaced him with General Thomas H. Ruger.