American Living History Education Society
Call us at: 717-338-1776
American Living History Education Society Personalities
Daniel Harvey Hill
as portrayed by Doug Batson
At the outbreak of the Civil War Hill was named Colonel of the First NC Infantry. He was arguable Lee's best Division Commander in 1862. His fearlessness on the battlefield was instrumental to victories at Seven Pines, Gaines' Mill, South Mountain and Sharpsburg. Later he easily defeated a Union move toward Richmond while Lee's Army was at Gettysburg. Appointed a Lieutenant General, Hill led a Corps in the Army of Tennessee's only victory of the war at Chickamauga. Doug Batson is a 30-year Federal civil servant in Washington DC, he has various degrees in Education, Geography, History and German. Batson retired from the U. S. Army Reserve in 2004, having been awarded the Bronze Star during Operation Desert Storm.
Abigail is from Fairfax, Virginia and related to Lord Fairfax. Mrs. Stackhouse is the only daughter to Mr. Charles Snowden who owns many of the banks in Fairfax. Mrs. Stackhouse is married to Major John Stackhouse who is serving under Generals Longstreet and Lee.They have 2 sons, John Jr. 16 and James 13. She has been traveling with the other ladies of the Dixie Rose Relief Society and is desperately looking for her son, James. He was very excited about the prospect of the war and ran off to join his father in the Army of Northern Virginia. Mrs. Stackhouse has been heard to say "War is for men....It is not for boys."
Abigail Snowden Stackhouse
as portrayed by Carol Polkinghorne
As a past President of the Gettysburg Civil War Roundtable and a Licensed Battlefield Guide in Gettysburg, Joe's particular expertise is on Civil War Politics. Having presented to numerous groups on all aspects of the War, Joe and Chris have prepared many PowerPoint presentations including an overview of the Lincoln and Davis Administrations. Joe has authored two books and Chris is an accomplished quilter and dress maker. Both have appeared in the movie "Gods and Generals" and will nbe appearing in the History Channel's upcoming mini-series "The Men Who Built America".
Senator & Mrs. Simon Cameron
Lincoln's secretary of War
Mr. & Mrs. David Wills
Lincoln's Host in Gettysburg
as portrayed by Joe and Chris Mieczkowski
Captain Jellicoe of the warship HMS Shannon was one of hundreds of British military envoys that took part in the American Civil War. Witnessing the battles around Richmond from the Confederate side and the battle of Antietam from the Union, his reports to his superiors gave the first eyewitness accounts of the fighting, tactics and participants. Although personally pro-Confederate, Captain Jellicoe was anti-slavery. His ship became an ark of freedom for hundreds of African slaves to the British possesions in Canada and the West Indies but also transported Confederate supplies directly to the troops in the field, rescued civilians from the Union, transported Union wounded to Baltimore and New York, and was the only foreign ship of war to receive an honourific gun salute from the Federal Navy during the conflict. David Coe is a veteran of British Military Service and a reenactor for 30 years spanning two continents and seven countries in Europe and North America. Mr. Coe is now a Clergyman and resides in Maryland.
Captain D J H Jellicoe
as portrayed by David C Coe
Col. Silas Burke
as portrayed by Jon D. Vrana
Col. Burke is a wealthy landowner who came to Fairfax County from nearby Prince William County, Virginia in early 1800. He worked as farm manager on Ravensworth Plantation, owned by the Fitzhughs, family of Mrs. Robert E. Lee. Eventually Col. Burke purchased nearly 2,000 acres to farm tobacco with the help of more than a dozen slaves. Eventually he changed production to small grains including wheat. During his life he was a State Director of the Orange and Alexandria (O&A) Railroad Company, and was instrumental in getting the rail line built through central Fairfax County. The Colonel also operated a lumber and grist mill and operated a Tavern in his home. Jon Vrana is a 35+ year employee of the US Dept. of Agriculture and holds degrees in Agronomy and Informational Technology. He is President of the Burke Historical Society and Vice President of the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum.
Armenius P Birdsong
as portrayed by Ronald A Hawkins
Mr. Birdsong is a North Georgia businessman who has relocated to the Commonwealth of Virginia for the purpose of exploring business propositions. Having lost a wife to childbirth, three sons to the Yankees, two daughters to the fever, he has found himself at war with both the North and the South. With diverse endeavors in Virginia he is now at risk of losing all that he has gained. He is a devout secessionist who can deliver his position on all topics in the most amusing Southern vernacular and often wields a sharp tongue. Ronald Hawkins is from Georgia and enlisted in the United States Air Force right out of High School where he served 16 years in Explosive Ordnance Disposal. He served two tours in Viet Nam where he was awarded the Bronze Star with the V-device. He continues to serve as a civilian employee with the U S Naval EOD Technology Division in Maryland.
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Rev. Alexander Dobbin
and Various Other Chaplains
Fanny Crosby
Corrie Ten Boom
As portrayed by Rene and Rommi Kinard
Dr. Hunter Holmes McGuire
as portrayed by Harry C. Sonntag
Of Winchester, VA, Dr. McGuire was best known as the Medical Director of Lt. Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and his 2nd Corps during the Civil War. He is remembered for amputating the left arm of General Jackson in an unsuccessful attempt to save his life. After the Civil War, he returned to Richmond, VA where he became the Chief of Surgery at the Medical College of Virginia and founded a Nursing School. Dr. McGuire was a truly gifted individual. He was a brilliant Surgeon, a superb teacher and orator, an inspired administrator and a prolific author. His contributions to Virginia, The Confederacy, The United States and medicine as a whole cannot be overlooked.
Harry Sonntag, a native of Philadelphia, PA is a long time Civil War enthusiast. With a career in Consulting and Emergency Medical Services Administration, he has a true understanding of portraying the role of a Civil War Surgeon. He is the Cubmaster of a local Cub Scout Pack and is the Chairman of the Police District Advisory Council in Philadelphia, PA.
Matilda "Tillie" Pierce
as portrayed by Ashley Sonntag
Miss Pierce was only 15 at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg. Born on March 11, 1848, she was raised in Gettysburg, PA. Tillie witnessed much of the first day of the battle from her home. She watched the Union Army march through town, and at the urging of her family, Tillie and some friends left the town and went to what they thought would be a safe farmhouse. Jacob Weikert's farmhouse was located at the base of Little Round Top. During the battle, Tillie provided water and food to the soldiers and assisted the surgeons and nurses caring for the wounded. In August, Tillie went to Camp Letterman where she volunteered as a nurse until November. Twenty-Five years later, she wrote a book about her experiences during that time: "At Gettysburg, Or What a Girl Saw and Heard of the Battle".
Ashley is a very talented 15 year old High School student from Philadelphia, PA. She has been visiting Gettysburg since 1998 and has a special interest in its historical significance. She has won awards in writing and academic excellence including class Valedictorian. Her hobbies include reading, writing, art, sewing and Civil War Reenacting.
Rene and Rommi are the ministers of Freedom In Christ Ministries of Hanover, PA. Their evangelistic outreach specializes in American Living Historical Church Services. Their ministerial impressions cover colonial era, Civil War, WWII, cowboy church and modern day evangelical services. These services consist of live period music and historical evangelistic sermons. Rommi's personas include Fanny Crosby, a late 1800's singer and writer, and Corrie Ten Boom, a WWII holocaust survivor as well as the complimentary wife to each of Rene's era chaplains.
Born November 4, 1923 in Mobile, Alabama, Eugene Graduated from Murphy High School and moved on to Marion Military Institute in Marion, AL. In fear of missing the war, he and several of his fellow classmates failed out to be able to enlist to join the war. Eugene enlisted in the Marine Corps in December 1942 and was assigned to K company 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division as a Morter Man. Serving as a Private First Class he saw combat on Peleliu and Okinawa. After the war, Eugene was posted in China where he received his discharge and the rank of Corporal. After the war, Eugene attended Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University), where he received a Bachelor of Science degree. Eugene died on March 3, 2001.
Eugene Sledge
as portrayed by Jamie Bryner
Rie Miller is a member of the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina, with blood ties to the Eastern Cherokee Nation. She holds a BA in History, with a minor in Cultural Anthropology and specializes in Eastern Woodlands Native American Cultures. She is active in the Native community in the Washington DC area and has been a speaker, living historian, and cultural educator for more than two decades. Mrs. Millers’ goal is to educate about her people, not just historically, but in modern society as well, presenting a first person perspective of Indigenous people.
Rie Miller
Catawba Indian
