“Hardtack and Hard Times: Civil War Food” living history program

On Saturday, August 27, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Honey Springs Battlefield will host “Hardtack and Hard Times,” a come-and-go presentation about Civil War food. Historian Dave Fowler and the Honey Springs Battlefield staff will tell guests about what foods were commonly available in the Civil War era, and allow visitors to experience some of these provisions.

Soldiers and settlers had to gather, hunt, grow, and prepare food to sustain their lives in the Civil War era. Learn about the various methods of food preparation, including how to make items that were easy to preserve such as salted meats and hardtack. Vegetable gardens were also a source of fresh ingredients that staved off scurvy and sustained the military through the harsh winter.