This never made sense to me - I mean, he was literally the top boss for the Union Army during the one of the most crucial campaigns of the war. The actor playing him really did have a captivating and powerful presence, even though his only scene was like a minute long and primarily consisted of him bitching about how dark it was outside and asking it the location was good ground. It seems Meade should have had more time on the screen.
shareI agree with you. Meade was the cornerstone of the Union victory. However, in the book as well, which the movie is based off of, he is mentioned very little as well. It's kind of (but not totally) told from the Confederate perspective with some sympathies going to the Southern cause.
shareBecause this is based off the novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shara that focused more on the other commanders in the union army.
Meade didn't even show up at Gettysburg til the night after the first battle.
So focusing on him at the beginning would have taken too much focus from the people who were present for it.