The Battle of Honey Springs biennial event

Honey Springs Battlefield offers a biennial multiday event, which begins with an Education Day for school groups on Friday, November 7. Events continue on Saturday, November 8, and Sunday, November 9, with Civil War demonstrations and self-guided tours through the Union, Confederate, and civilian camps. Visitors can experience military drills, demonstrations, and living history programs and take a walk through Sutler’s Row, which features a number of vendors selling clothes, books, souvenirs, and reproduction of nineteenth-century military equipment. Visitors from around the state come to see special presentations and watch the battle unfold.

The Battle of Honey Springs, which took place on July 17, 1863, was the largest Civil War battle to occur in Indian Territory and on Muscogee (Creek) lands. Also remembered as the most ethnically diverse battle in the Civil War, the Battle of Honey Springs was fought by Indigenous, Black, and white soldiers. The tribal nations of the Muscogee, Cherokee, and Seminole divided, joining both the Union and Confederate armies. Of the 9,000 who fought, 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.

Honey Springs Battlefield is located east of US Highway 69 between Oktaha and Rentiesville. The Visitor Center is located on a hill near the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame in Rentiesville. Take the second left after reaching the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame Museum (driving from the west).

More information about ticket prices and registration will be provided closer to the event date.