Editing George Meade (section)

==Topographical Corps and Mexican-American War==
[[File:George Meade - Brady-Handy.jpg|thumb|200px|Meade photographed by [[Mathew Brady]] or [[Levin C. Handy]]]]
Meade was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in the [[3rd Field Artillery Regiment (United States)|3rd Artillery]].{{sfn|Cleaves|1960|p=12}} He worked for a summer as an assistant surveyor on the construction of the [[Long Island Rail Road|Long Island Railroad]] and was assigned to service in Florida.{{sfn|Sauers|2003|p=5}} He fought in the Second Seminole War{{sfn|Cleaves|1960|pp=13-14}} and was assigned to accompany a group of Seminole to Indian territory in the West.{{sfn|Sauers|2003|p=5}} He became a full second lieutenant by year's end, and in the fall of 1836, after the minimum required one year of service,{{sfn|Hyde|2003|p=15}} he resigned from the army. He returned to Florida and worked as a private citizen for his brother-in-law, [[James Duncan Graham]], as an assistant surveyor to the [[United States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers]] on a railroad project.{{sfn|Cleaves|1960|p=15}} He conducted additional survey work for the Topographical Engineers on the Texas-Louisiana border, the Mississippi River Delta{{sfn|Cleaves|1960|pp=15-16}} and the northeastern boundary of Maine and Canada.{{sfn|Cleaves|1960|pp=16-17}}

In 1842, a congressional measure was passed which excluded civilians from working in the Army Corps of Topographical Engineers{{sfn|Cleaves|1960|p=18}} and Meade reentered the army as a [[second lieutenant#United States|second lieutenant]] in order to continue his work with them.{{sfn|Huntington|2013|pp=13-14}} In November 1843, he was assigned to work on lighthouse construction under Major [[Hartman Bache]]. He worked on the [[Brandywine Shoal Light|Brandywine Shoal lighthouse]] in the Delaware Bay.{{sfn|Sauers|2003|p=6}}

Meade served in the [[Mexican–American War]] and was assigned to the staffs of Generals [[Zachary Taylor]]{{sfn|Cleaves|1960|p=19}} and [[Robert Patterson]].{{sfn|Cleaves|1960|pp=38-39}} He fought at the [[Battle of Palo Alto]],{{sfn|Cleaves|1960|pp=26-27}} the [[Battle of Resaca de la Palma]]{{sfn|Cleaves|1960|pp=27-28}} and the [[Battle of Monterrey]].{{sfn|Warner|1964|p=316}} He served under General [[William J. Worth|William Worth]] at Monterrey and led a party up a hill to attack a fortified position.{{sfn|Sauers|2003|p=9}} He was [[Brevet (military)|brevetted]] to [[first lieutenant#United States|first lieutenant]]{{sfn|Warner|1964|p=316}} and received a gold-mounted sword for gallantry from the citizens of Philadelphia.{{sfn|Cleaves|1960|p=45}}

In 1849, Meade was assigned to [[Fort Brooke]] in Florida to assist with Seminole attacks on settlements.{{sfn|Cleaves|1960|p=46}} In 1851, he led the construction of the [[Carysfort Reef Light]] in Key Largo.{{sfn|Cleaves|1960|p=47}} In 1852, the Topographical Corps established the [[United States Lighthouse Board]] and Meade was appointed the Seventh District engineer with responsibilities in Florida. He led the construction of [[Sand Key Light]] in Key West;{{sfn|Cleaves|1960|p=48}} [[Jupiter Inlet Light]] in [[Jupiter, Florida]]; and [[Sombrero Key Light]] in the [[Florida Keys]].<ref>Dean, Love, ''Reef Lights: Seaswept Lighthouses of the Florida Keys'', The Historic Key West Preservation Board, 1982, {{ISBN|0-943528-03-8}}. McCarthy, Kevin M., ''Florida Lighthouses''. University of Florida Press, 1990, {{ISBN|0-8130-0993-6}}.</ref> When Bache was reassigned to the West Coast, Meade took over responsibility for the Fourth District in New Jersey and Delaware{{sfn|Sauers|2003|p=11}} and built the [[Barnegat Lighthouse|Barnegat Light]] on [[Long Beach Island]],{{sfn|Cleaves|1960|p=49}} [[Absecon Light]] in [[Atlantic City]], and the [[Cape May Light]] in [[Cape May]].  He also designed a hydraulic lamp that was used in several American lighthouses. Meade received an official promotion to first lieutenant in 1851,{{sfn|Sauers|2003|p=11}} and to captain in 1856.{{sfn|Eicher|Eicher|2001|p=385}}

In 1857, Meade was given command of the [[United States Lake Survey|Lakes Survey]] mission of the [[Great Lakes]]. Completion of the survey of [[Lake Huron]] and extension of the surveys of [[Lake Michigan]] down to [[Grand Traverse Bay|Grand]] and [[Little Traverse Bay]]s were done under his command.{{sfn|Woodford|1991|p=37}} Prior to Captain Meade's command, Great Lakes' water level readings were taken locally with temporary gauges; a uniform plane of reference had not been established. In 1858, based on his recommendation, instrumentation was set in place for the tabulation of records across the basin.{{sfn|Woodford|1991|p=40}} Meade stayed with the Lakes Survey until the 1861 outbreak of the Civil War.{{sfn|Woodford|1991|p=41}}