Road Travel America


Camp Beauregard

Camp Beauregard Today

Camp Beauregard serves as the primary annual training and pre-mobilization training platform for the Louisiana National Guard. Camp Beauregard supports all training of the Louisiana National Guard, and Department of Defense (DoD) customers in support of military and emergency operations both federal and state.

Additionally, Camp Beauregard serves as both a staging base for National Guard personnel and a logistical staging area for various emergency response agencies during times of State and Federal Emergencies.

The facility will be renamed in 2023, and will become the Louisiana National Guard Training Center Pineville.

Early History of Camp Beauregard

Camp Beauregard is located in Pineville, Louisiana, and is named for Confederate general and Louisiana native Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard. It dates back to World War I when it was authorized by the War Department on July 15, 1917.

Originally, Camp Beauregard included the property that is now Pinecrest State School and a large tract directly behind the Procter and Gamble plant on U.S. Highway 165 as well as the present camp proper. The Camp Beauregard Base Hospital in 1919 became a U.S. Public Health Hospita,l and in 1920 a U.S. Veterans' Administration Hospital.

It served as a training facility for soldiers who were sent to France from 1917 to 1918 and was closed in 1919 and turned over to the State of Louisiana which used the grounds periodically for National Guard training.

It was reactivated as a federal facility in 1940 and served as the hub of the Louisiana Maneuvers.  The WWII camp grounds also included nearby Esler Field.

Post World War II

Louisiana Maneuvers & Military Museum, Camp Beauregard, Pineville, Louisiana
Louisiana Maneuvers & Military Museum

Following World War II, Camp Beauregard reverted back to state control and was used as a training area for two years before again being deactivated.  It was revived in 1973 and currently serves as a logistical and training base for engineer and aviation units of the Louisiana National Guard.

Louisiana Maneuvers & Military Museum

The Louisiana Maneuvers & Military Museum tells the story of the massive army maneuvers that prepared the United States for World War II and was centered on several army camps in the Pineville area.

Built as a replica WWII barracks, this museum houses memorabilia and artifacts from the WWII era, as well as WWI and earlier time periods. View life size military vehicles, authentic military uniforms, and historic pieces from the home front.

Admission is free. It is located at 623 G Street, Camp Beauregard.

The museum is open Tuesday through Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm. For additional information, and for arranging after-hours and weekend tours, phone 318.641.5733.


Camp Beauregard Historic Postcards

Shown below are images of Camp Beauregard in a series of historic postcards provided courtesy of the Louisiana History Museum.

Camp Beauregard, April, 1915
154 INF, 135 INF, 39 DIV
Camp Beauregard, April, 1915
Camp Beauregard, February, 1919
Camp Beauregard, February, 1919

The original Camp Beauregard water tower when the camp opened.
It was located near the current Pine Plaza Shopping Mall in Pineville on the Military Highway.
The original Camp Beauregard water tower


 

Other Military Camps in Central Louisiana

Military Camps in Central Louisiana in WWII
World War II military camps in the Alexandria Louisiana area

Louisiana Maneuvers sign, outside Hotel Bentley, downtown Alexandria Louisiana
Louisiana Maneuvers sign, outside Hotel Bentley, downtown Alexandria, Louisiana

Esler Field aka Camp Beauregard Army Field, and Esler Army Airfield. Construction began in 1939, and renamed in 1941 to honor Lt. Wyler Esler, a pilot who was the first casualty of the airfield when his plane crashed on April 11, 1941

Camp Polk (WikiPedia), near Leesville

Barksdale Field in Bossier City (later renamed Barksdale Air Force Base)

Pollock Army Air Field

 

Other Sources of Central Louisiana Military Camp Information

Several other sites have significant information about these military camps, including: