The 16th Michigan Company B and 4th Texas Company E of southeast Michigan will bring Mackinac Island's Civil War connections to life when they encamp at Fort Mackinac on Saturday, August 12, and Sunday, August 13, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The reenactors will recreate a chapter in Fort Mackinac's history when the Union Army used the island fortress as a prison for three prominent Confederate sympathizers.

The Stanton Guard unit, named after Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, was recruited to guard the Confederate prisoners, Washington Barrow, Josephus Conn Guild, and William G. Harding. The three reenactors portraying the gentlemen of the south will dress in their uniforms and present a brief biography. The Stanton Guard will post guards, drill, and perform firing demonstrations for the public. The civilians will picnic and stroll the grounds, presenting first-person accounts of civilians who may have visited the island during the Civil War.

The encampment is included with regular Fort Mackinac admission, $9.50 for adults, $6 for youth ages 6 to 17.