For the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 site, see Camp Beauregard Memorial in Water Valley

Camp Beauregard Memorial in Water Valley

The Camp Beauregard Memorial, outside Water Valley, Kentucky on Kentucky state road 2422 northeast of town, marks the site of Camp Beauregard during the American Civil War. It was named for Confederate general P. G. T. Beauregard...

.

Camp Beauregard is a U.S. Army installation located northeast of Pineville, Louisiana

Pineville, Louisiana

Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Alexandria, and is part of that city's Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,829 at the 2000 census....

, primarily in Rapides Parish

Rapides Parish, Louisiana

-Military Installations:*Camp Beauregard *Esler Airfield *England Air Force Base *Camp Claiborne *Camp Livingston -Demographics:...

, but also extending northward into Grant Parish

Grant Parish, Louisiana

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 18,698 people, 7,073 households, and 5,276 families residing in the parish. The population density was 29 people per square mile . There were 8,531 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...

. It is currently operated by the Louisiana National Guard

Louisiana National Guard

The Louisiana National Guard consists of the:*Louisiana Army National Guard** includes the U.S. 256th Infantry Brigade*Louisiana Air National Guard-External links:*** compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History...

 as one of their main training areas. The current base covers 12500 acres (50.6 km²) and is home to many different units and elements of the Louisiana Army National Guard

Louisiana Army National Guard

The Louisiana Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. In fact, the National Guard is the only United States military force...

.

The beginnings of the existing post started in 1917, when the War Department

United States Department of War

The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...

 authorized the building of more than thirty such camps around the country to train troops for World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. The camp was abandoned in 1919 and given to the state. During that brief time, Alexandria

Alexandria, Louisiana

Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....

 businessman Morgan W. Walker, Sr.

Morgan W. Walker, Sr.

Morgan Wailes Walker, Sr. was a businessman from Alexandria, Louisiana, who was involved in dairying, farming, bus transportation, hotels, banking, and education. He was a director of the Trans-Continental Bus system, which operated in time in more than forty states. Walker introduced Guernsey...

, started a taxi

Taxicab

A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...

 and bus service to transport soldiers from Camp Beauregard into Alexandria. The operation eventually led to the formation of Continental Trailways Bus

Bus

A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...

 lines.

Camp Beauregard was returned to the U.S. government in 1940 for use as a World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 training area. This is the time period during which Beauregard really got busy. The area had been effectively deforested

Deforestation

Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....

 in previous years and was unusable for agriculture. That fact and the hot, muggy weather made this a logical location for training American troops in preparation for East-Asian war efforts.

The camp, and several tens of thousands of acres of surrounding land, including camps Claiborne

Camp Claiborne

Camp Claiborne was a U.S. Army military camp during World War II located in Rapides Parish in central Louisiana. The camp was under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Eighth Service Command, and included 23,000 acres ....

, Livingston

Camp Livingston

Camp Livingston was a U.S. Army military camp during World War II located on the Rapides Parish and Grant Parish line in north Louisiana, north of Pineville, Louisiana.- History :...

, Cook, Polk

Fort Polk

Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, approximately 7 miles east of Leesville, Louisiana and 20 miles north of DeRidder, Louisiana....

 and what is now Esler Regional Airport

Esler Regional Airport

Esler Field, also known as Esler Regional Airport, is a military and public use airfield in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, near the City of Pineville...

 were used for the Louisiana Maneuvers

Louisiana Maneuvers

The Louisiana Maneuvers were a series of military exercises held all over north and west-central Louisiana, including Fort Polk, Camp Claiborne and Camp Livingston, in August and September 1941...

, a training exercise involving almost 500,000 men, preparing them for the battles of World War II that they would soon be involved in. A full two-thirds of the U.S. military rotated through these war games. A large part of the State of Louisiana, centered around these large camps, became almost an occupied territory.

After the war, the camp reverted back to the state, which used it as a training area for two years and then deactivated it. The camp was reactivated in 1973 and became one of the premier military training areas in Louisiana. Since then, most of the old buildings have either been torn down or remodeled, and many new buildings have been constructed to support the current mission.

The 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Louisiana Army National Guard often makes use of the Camp's training and lodging facilities. The 225th Engineer Brigade

225th Engineer Brigade (United States)

The 225th Engineer Brigade is a combat heavy engineer brigade of the Louisiana Army National Guard. It is one of the largest engineer formations in the United States Army National Guard. The 225th Engineer Brigade is headquartered at Camp Beauregard near Pineville, Louisiana in Rapides Parish...

, the largest engineer group in the army, has its headquarters in Camp Beauregard.

The Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections

Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections

The Department of Public Safety and Corrections is a state agency of Louisiana, headquartered in Baton Rouge. The agency comprises two major areas: Public Safety Services and Corrections Services. The Secretary, who is appointed by the Governor, serves as the Department's chief executive officer...

 operates the J. Levy Dabadie Correctional Center

J. Levy Dabadie Correctional Center

J. Levy Dabadie Correctional Center is a men's prison adjacent to the Louisiana National Guard base on the grounds of Camp Beauregard and in Pineville, Louisiana. A facility of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, JLDCC is about east of the intersection of U.S. Route 165 and...

 adjacent to the Louisiana National Guard

Louisiana National Guard

The Louisiana National Guard consists of the:*Louisiana Army National Guard** includes the U.S. 256th Infantry Brigade*Louisiana Air National Guard-External links:*** compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History...

base on the camp property.