Press Release
June 20, 2017
Contact: Adam Lynn
Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor Center, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 918-473-5572
alynn@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org/sites/honeysprings
Memorial Service to be Held at Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor Center
CHECOTAH, Okla. —Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor Center is honored to announce a memorial service honoring the 154th anniversary of the Battle of Honey Springs near Checotah, Okla., on Saturday, July 15, at 10:30 a.m. The memorial service is open to all visitors. Special guest speaker Dr. James Finck, professor of history at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, will give a talk on the significance of the Civil War in Indian Territory inside the new Honey Springs Battlefield Visitor Center immediately following a presentation of colors outside.
The service commemorates the largest of approximately 107 documented Civil War military engagements throughout Indian Territory, in present-day Oklahoma. The engagement took place on July 17, 1863, just two weeks after the famous Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Approximately 9,000 Union and Confederate troops, mostly American Indians and African Americans, were involved in the Battle of Honey Springs. Of those, approximately 200 total casualties were suffered. After a decisive Union victory, Confederates lost control of Indian Territory north of the Arkansas River. The Union victory also ensured Federal control of Fort Gibson in Indian Territory and Fort Smith in Arkansas.
For more information regarding the memorial service and the Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor Center, please email honeysprings@okhistory.org. Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor Center is located east of U.S. Highway 69 between Oktaha and Rentiesville.
Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
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