On The DL

General Meade Birthday Celebration

by Megan M. Erwin

Sun., Dec. 31, noon, free, Laurel Hill Cemetery, 3822 Ridge Ave., 215-228-8200

Unless you've got a set of dusty blues hanging in your closet, you're probably unfamiliar with General George G. Meade, who led the Union Army to victory in 1863's Battle of Gettysburg.

"If you grab 10 people off the street, there's a good chance they'll know who Lee is. They don't know Meade, which is a tragedy, because he lived here," says Andrew Waskie, founder of the General Meade Society of Philadelphia. By gathering on the 191st anniversary of the man's birth, Waskie looks to celebrate a great but often overlooked Philadelphia icon.

The event, which Waskie and a few friends began more than 16 years ago, draws many re-enactors. The group will march to Meade's gravesite at Laurel Hill, where they'll perform a traditional Civil War-era wreath-laying ceremony.

Waskie will present a program addressing Meade's life, which ends with a 21-gun salute and champagne toast (the general's favorite drink). Light refreshments and a tour of the grounds will follow, providing ample opportunities for Meadeheads to ask questions.

"This is a poignant event," says Waskie. "It adds a certain historical flair to the New Year's Eve celebrations."