One-hundred-and-fifty years ago, the first Confederate invasion of the North occurred at present-day Monocacy National Battlefield. You can gain a sense of that event next month when Civil War re-enactors set up a Confederate camp at the battlefield.

In September 1862, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia camped on the outskirts of Frederick, Maryland, in the fields that make up today's national battlefield. After Lee's army moved west, Union General George McClellan's army moved toward Frederick and discovered the famous lost copy of Special Order 191, which led to the battles of South Mountain and Antietam, park historians note.

You are invited on Saturday and Sunday, September 8 & 9, to experience a Confederate encampment and attend programs by park rangers and a living historian portraying General D. H. Hill. The camp will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

General Hill will provide programs at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. daily. A special program on Special Order No. 191 will be held at 1 p.m. at the historic Thomas House. Seating is limited at the Thomas House and the doors open at 12:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. All programs and activities are free.

On Saturday, September 8 at 7 p.m., local author John W. Schildt will speak on "Frederick's Role in the 1862 Maryland Campaign." The program is free and will be held at the Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ on 15 W. Church Street in Frederick. For more information call 301-662-3515.