Gen. Longstreet Represented through Living History

We are often asked why we choose to be Living Historians because it requires a lot of energy, time and money. Once in awhile we receive a gift for our efforts and my husband, Ron Hawkins, who portrays Gen. James Longstreet at the Gettysburg reenactment, received his gift this past year. A young lady attended the 146th Reenactment and became so interested in Gen. Longstreet's story that she chose to portray him for her history project at school. In preparation for this project she interviewed Ron, and we helped to provide a uniform and props for her presentation. Prior to her presentation only two people knew of General James Longstreet, but Michaela's effort changed all that. She is to be commended for taking the initiative and ignoring the gender boundaries that often influence young girls. Ron wanted to celebrate the spirit of this young lady and to commend her for her effort, so Ron brought Michaela on stage at the conclusion of his talk on Saturday July 3rd at the 147th Gettysburg Reenactment. At the conclusion of this year's reenactment, Michaela told her dad that she was a living historian. This little lady certainly did the General justice!