Table of
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This lesson is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file "Honey Springs Battlefield" and other sources. It was made possible by the National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program. The lesson written by Mike Adkins, a social studies teacher from the Moore School District, and Ralph Jones, Superintendent, Battle of Honey Springs Historic Site. The lesson was edited by the Teaching with Historic Places staff. TwHP is sponsored, in part, by the Cultural Resources Training Initiative and Parks as Classrooms programs of the National Park Service. This lesson is one in a series that brings the important stories of historic places into the classrooms across the country.

Where it fits into the curriculum
Topics: This lesson could be used in teaching units on the Civil War, particularly the war in the West, on Native American history, or on cultural diversity.
Time period: 1861-1865
Relevant United States History Standards for Grades 5-12
Relevant Curriculum Standards for Social Studies

Objectives for students
1) To explain how and why American Indians of the Five Civilized Tribes became involved in a bloody conflict that started a thousand miles away.
2) To examine the effects of the Civil War on the Indian Territory and its citizens.
3) To learn how to interpret and compare battle narratives and use this information to create a map of the events.
4) To discover if distinct ethnic groups from the student's own community have worked together toward a common goal, as they did at Honey Springs.

Materials for students
The materials listed below either can be used directly on the computer or can be printed out, photocopied, and distributed to students. The maps and images appear twice: in a low-resolution version with associated questions and alone in a larger, high-quality version.
1) one map & table showing Indian Territory and its population;
2) three readings about the battle from contemporary accounts by soldiers;
3) one illustration and table of northeastern Oklahoma and the military units involved;
4) two illustrations & one drawing of the battle.

Visiting the site
Honey Springs Battlefield Park is located in southern Muskogee County and northern McIntosh county in east-central Oklahoma. Take the Checotha/Rentiesville exit off U.S. HWY 69 (approximately 2 1/4 miles north of I-40); then take Business 69 north approximately 1 1/14 miles to Rentiesville Road; Go east 2 miles to edge of battlefield and follow signs to the monuments and visitors center. For further information contact the Superintendent, Battle of Honey Springs, Historic Site, 1863 Honey Springs Battlefield Road, Checotah, OK 74426-6301.