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51-658: The Louisiana Maneuvers were a series of major U.S. Army exercises held from August to September 1941 in northern and west-central Louisiana, an area bounded by the Sabine River to the west, the Calcasieu River to the east, and by the city of Shreveport to the north. The area included Fort Polk (now Fort Johnson ), Camp Claiborne and Camp Livingston . The exercises, which involved some 400,000 troops, were designed to evaluate U.S. training, logistics, doctrine , and commanders. Similar U.S. Army field exercises carried out in

102-529: A day. Other customers and their gallons of use per day are the city of Westlake (8,640,000 gallons), Air Liquide (129,600), Air Products (1,728,000), CITGO (20,160,000), Phillips 66 (3,600,000), The Axiall subsidiary Eagle US 2 LLC (20,160,000), Entergy (21,600,000), Lake Charles Co-Gen (14,400,000), Louisiana Pigment (3,038,400) that produces Titanium White , another LyondellBasell company (720,000), and Matheson Tri-Gas (175,680). The main canal continues east, crossing under Highway 27 and joined by

153-550: A day. The canal was completed by the Louisiana Department of Public Works in 1981. The canal is 35 miles (56 km) long, with about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) of underground pipe, and begins on the Old Sabine River 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north of Niblett's Bluff. Pump station #1 is located two miles east of the river. The canal continues running east, piped under roadways such as Louisiana Highway 109 north of Vinton ,

204-581: A good place for large-scale training. The war games were conducted while the British awaited an expected German invasion of the United Kingdom , and some speculated that the National Guard units used in the maneuvers would not be demobilized afterwards. Around 400,000 troops were divided into equal armies of two fictitious countries: Kotmk ( Kansas , Oklahoma , Texas , Missouri , Kentucky ), also called

255-505: A total daily contract use of 141,166,000 gallons of river water a day. Up to 450,000 gallons (about 11,000 bls) of crude oil spilled over the Sabine River when the tanker Eagle Otome , which was carrying the shipment, struck two chemical-carrying barges due to loss of engine power on January 24, 2010, at 10 am local time. Severe flooding during the first week of March 2016 was the result of record rainfalls in northern Louisiana and

306-535: A very large combined-arms mechanized unit to move long distances, maintain troops and vehicles in combat conditions, and affect the outcome of tactical and operational-level problems. The armored division concept was considered sound and led to the formation of 16 U.S. armored divisions during World War II. U.S. defensive doctrine was based on the perceived need to defeat German blitzkrieg tactics ; U.S. units expected to be faced with large numbers of German tanks attacking on relatively narrow fronts. The maneuvers tested

357-599: A while that the names of the Sabine and Neches had been reversed, thus they claimed that the treaty established the boundary at the Neches. The first Anglo-American settlers began arriving in the region in the 1820s, soon outnumbering the Mexicans by ten to one. After the independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico in 1836, the boundary between the U.S. and Texas was firmly established at

408-666: The Ark-La-Tex area, just as the northeastern portion of Louisiana, Southeast Arkansas, and Northwest Mississippi are known as the Ark-La-Miss. The Louisiana Central Hill Country, the hilly areas of LaSalle, Grant, Winn, Caldwell, Natchitoches, Jackson, Lincoln, and Bienville parishes, extend into portions of North Louisiana's border with Central Louisiana . There are two combined statistical areas , two metropolitan statistical areas , and two micropolitan statistical areas that include North Louisiana parishes. North Louisiana consists of

459-712: The Houston River canal at pumping station #2, continuing to old Mossville. There it tees to the left, providing water to the Krause and Managan canal supplying the Nelson Industrial Steam Company (Nisco), which supplies steam and electricity to area businesses. The right tee of the canal terminates at pumping station #3 on what was 8th street in Mossville, now the Sasol complex, providing 46,080,000 gallons of river water for

510-478: The Sabine Pass , Sabine Lake , and Sabine River, as far north as ― International Boundary Marker ― the thirty-second degree of north latitude. In 1843, Capt. John Clemmons made the first trip up the Sabine in the steamboat Sabine. Steamboats carried passengers, as well as commodities such as cotton, from as far north as Logansport, Louisiana , down to Sabine Pass. The pirate Jean Lafitte made many trips up

561-480: The Sabine River or in vehicle accidents. One died when struck by lightning, and one had a heart attack at age 24. This exercise also led to the creation of Fort Polk, named for the Confederate General Leonidas Polk , which was renamed to Fort Johnson on June 13, 2023. Source: Built around a nucleus from Chaffee's 7th Mechanized Cavalry , the 1st U.S. Armored Division tested the ability of

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612-745: The Seven Years' War , the capital of the Spanish province of Texas was established at Los Adaes on the east side of the river, near present-day Robeline , Louisiana. After acquiring the French territory west of the Mississippi River in 1803 Louisiana Purchase , the United States started to exert control in this area. It was at war with Native Americans in Louisiana along the Sabine River from 1836 to 1837, in

663-573: The Texas Rangers operated a small store at Brown's Bluff (modern-day Elderville ) on the Sabine in Gregg County, Texas . Hadden's Ferry was the site of the ground-breaking ceremony held on October 5, 1961, for the 181,600-acre Toledo Bend Reservoir . Dedicated October 11, 1969, the reservoir is the largest human-made lake in the South. Flooding of lands along the Sabine River behind the dam inundated all

714-526: The Caddo Fork and Cowleech Fork in southeastern Hunt County. The confluence of the forks is now submerged in the Lake Tawakoni reservoir. The combined river flows southeast across northeast Texas and is joined by a fourth branch, Lake Fork Creek , 70.0 miles (112.7 km) downstream from the reservoir. In northeast Texas, the river flows past Kilgore , Mineola , Gladewater , Big Sandy , and Longview ,

765-515: The Edgerly Big Woods road, and Highway 388, which runs to Dequincy . Just east of Louisiana Highway 27 , the canal forks to the south, running around southern Sulphur. The canal is piped under Louisiana Highway 108 , at pumping station #4, providing river water to the business area known as City Service in Westlake, and companies such as Equistar , which has a daily contract for 734,400 gallons

816-719: The Louisiana Maneuvers. In Phase 1 of the exercise, both sides were given offensive missions. The Red 2nd Army would cross the Red River on September 15 and invade the Blue homeland. The Blue 3rd Army would move north to intercept the invaders and drive the Red force back across the river. In Phase 2, the Blue Army was both twice as large as the Red and equipped with its own armored division, the 2nd, which had switched sides since Phase 1. Blue's mission

867-627: The Red Army; and Almat ( Arkansas , Louisiana , Mississippi , Alabama , Tennessee ), or the Blue Army. The troops were organized into a total of 19 divisions. From August to September 1941, the war game was conducted over 3,400 square miles (8,800 km) of Louisiana. The area was bounded on the west by the Sabine River , on the east by the Calcasieu River , and on the north by the Red River at Shreveport. The two fictitious factions were "at war" over Mississippi River rights. There were two phases to

918-431: The Sabine River basin, of 18 to more than 24 inches. Toledo Bend Reservoir is considered at "full pool" at 172 ft; before the rains started, it was at 171.5 ft. On March 10, the level reached a record 174.36 ft, and 9 of the 11 gates were opened to 22 ft (two gates were out of commission for repairs). Lake Tawakoni , east of Dallas on the Sabine River, was 2 feet above full pool and Lake Fork Reservoir

969-566: The Sabine and reportedly started the colony of Shacklefoot on the Texas side of the Sabine River, south of Carter's ferry up Bayou Patroon. During the American Civil War , on September 8, 1863, a small Confederate force thwarted a Union invasion of Texas at the Second Battle of Sabine Pass , fought at the mouth of the river. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the middle course of

1020-653: The Sabine in accordance with the Adams-Onis Treaty. The river served as the western boundary of the United States until the Texas Annexation in 1845. In July 1848, the 30th United States Congress passed a public law endorsing the government of the United States to the Texas legislature to extend the Texas eastern boundary. The Act of Congress provisioned the State of Texas to geographical limits for incorporating one half of

1071-578: The Spanish word for cypress , in reference to the extensive growth of bald cypresses along the lower river. The river flows through an important petroleum -producing region, and the lower river near the Gulf is among the most industrialized areas of the southeastern United States. The river was often described as the dividing line between the Old South and the New Southwest. The Sabine rises in northeast Texas by

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1122-585: The Texas–Louisiana border, and eventually the bayou country near the Gulf Coast. The river drains an area of 9,756 square miles (25,270 km ), of which 7,426 square miles (19,230 km ) are in Texas and 2,330 square miles (6,000 km ) in Louisiana. It flows through an area of abundant rainfall and discharges the largest volume of any river in Texas. The name Sabine ( es : Río de Sabinas ) comes from

1173-608: The U.S. Army was largely an infantry force with supporting artillery , engineers, and cavalry , as well as combat support and combat service supporting arms. It was far smaller than most European armies, and few units were motorized or mechanized. As war approached, there was a need to both modernize and conduct large-scale maneuvers to test all aspects of a fast-growing, inexperienced force. General George C. Marshall , Army Chief of Staff , appointed General Lesley McNair as director of Army training. He and Colonel Mark Wayne Clark picked thousands of acres of unused land in Louisiana as

1224-518: The boundary between the two states and empties into Sabine Lake , an estuary of the Gulf of Mexico . Over the first half of the 19th century, the river formed part of the Spanish – American , Mexican –American, and Texan –American international boundaries . The upper reaches of the river flow through the prairie country of northeast Texas. Along much of its lower reaches, it flows through pine forests along

1275-468: The concept of the tank destroyer . This concept, originating with artillery officers, consisted of large numbers of highly mobile guns to be held in reserve. Upon an enemy tank attack, the towed or self-propelled tank destroyers would be rapidly deployed to the flanks of the penetration with the intent of taking a heavy toll of attacking tanks. Tank destroyers were supposed to employ aggressive, high-speed hit-and-run tactics against tanks. The use of these guns

1326-477: The dam was nearly 208,000 ft per second for 31 hours, equating to 1.5 million gallons per second. Catastrophic flooding was predicted to be from 2 to 5 ft above record floods of 1884 and 1889. During peak flooding, Deweyville, Texas was surrounded by water, accessible only by air or boat. The flood stage is 24 ft, but reached 33.24 ft on March 10, 2016, which was 9.24 ft above flood stage. A group of Texas residents who suffered damage in

1377-406: The east bank of the Sabine River on land purchased from Vicinte Michele. Chabinan built a ferry landing on the river called Paso del Chaland. Louisiana State Highway 6 (La 6) and Texas State Highway 21 now meet near here, at the site of the present-day Pendleton Bridge. In 1796, Chabinan was drowned after being kicked by a horse and falling into the Sabine. Michel Crow married his widow and ran

1428-709: The fall of 1941 included the Arkansas Maneuvers in August and the Carolina Maneuvers in November. Many Army officers present at the maneuvers later rose to very senior roles in World War II, including Omar Bradley , Mark Clark , Dwight D. Eisenhower , Walter Krueger , Samuel E. Anderson , Lesley J. McNair , Joseph Stilwell , and George Patton . When Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, starting World War II ,

1479-603: The ferry sites within its boundary. The 1970 Louisiana Legislature passed Acts 90 and 117, creating the Sabine River Diversion Canal, for the purpose of supplying fresh river water to businesses in Lake Charles , Sulphur , Westlake , and what was Mossville (now the Sasol complex), as well as to farmers along the canal, with a total capacity of 216,000,000 US gallons (820,000,000 L; 180,000,000 imp gal)

1530-605: The ferry to Carter, who became the namesake. Farther north, and just above Bayou Lanan, was Williamson Ferry. Other ferries on the Sabine River: The main Sabine River crossings were the El Camino Real (King's Highway) from Natchitoches , or "Upper Route" from Shreveport ; and the "Lower" Route, from Opelousas called "The Old Beef Trail". It was used to drive thousands of cattle from Texas to Alexandria, Louisiana , for shipment to cities such as New Orleans . Hickman Ferry

1581-579: The ferry, until he sold it to James Gaines circa 1819; it was renamed Gaines Ferry . This ferry was in service until 1937, when it was replaced by the Pendleton Bridge, built during the Great Depression. Crow also operated a ferry he had started upriver, a 120-foot crossing started in 1796. It linked what became known as Carter's Ferry Road, now Texas FM 276. Carter's ferry was 25 miles from San Augustine and 15 miles from Many, Louisiana . Crow sold

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1632-512: The flooding met March 17, 2016, to discuss a class-action suit against the Sabine River Authority (SRA), based on their belief that it had mismanaged water release. The issue is under review by counsel. According to local ABC affiliate KBMT-TV , SRA spokesperson Ann Galassi stated that the SRA has guidelines it has to follow and those cannot be altered based on weather forecasts. She said that

1683-456: The following 20 parishes: This Louisiana state location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sabine River (Texas%E2%80%93Louisiana) The Sabine River ( / s ə ˈ b iː n / ) is a 360-mile (580 km) long river in the Southern U.S. states of Texas and Louisiana , From the 32nd parallel north and downstream, it serves as part of

1734-571: The guidelines are designed to protect the infrastructure of the dam. After the record flood event, the regulatory commission could possibly review the guidelines, and she said that the SRA would welcome that. The SRA of Texas states, "The Authority was created as a conservation and reclamation district with responsibilities to control, store, preserve, and distribute the waters of the Sabine River and its tributary streams for useful purposes." The site also states, "Toledo Bend Project-since its inception and original development over 50 years ago-has never been

1785-535: The largest city on the river, to southwest of Shreveport at the 32nd parallel north , where it establishes the Texas-Louisiana boundary. It flows south, forming the state line for the remainder of its course. It is impounded 10 miles (16 km) west of Leesville, Louisiana , to form the 70-mile-long (110 km) Toledo Bend Reservoir , with the Sabine National Forest along its western bank. South of

1836-468: The naming of the Sabine and Neches and sometimes showed them flowing independently into the Gulf of Mexico. After the Louisiana Purchase by the United States in 1803, a dispute over the boundary between the U.S. and Spain led to a demilitarized zone agreement on November 6, 1806, negotiated by Gen. James Wilkinson and Lt. Col. Simón de Herrera , to establish a neutral territory on both sides of

1887-645: The period when it was trying to remove the Indians to Indian Territory from the Southeast. The Sabine River was too deep to ford, and proved to be navigable. Early travelers and settlers would have to swim the river on horseback and cattle would have to be driven into the river to swim across. Ferries were later put into service. By the 1840s, steamboats were travelling from Logansport to Sabine Lake. Recorded ferry use began 1794, when Louis Chabinan (Sharben), his wife Margarite LaFleur, and their four children settled on

1938-527: The quality of the river. In addition, draining of wetlands and dredging of bayous has caused decline in the acreage of wetlands, resulting in coastal erosion, and making the area much more vulnerable to hurricane damage. The lower river, south of Orange to Sabine Lake, forms part of the Intracoastal Waterway , carrying barge traffic and some pleasure boats. As a young man, Captain Bill McDonald of

1989-473: The reservoir, it passes through the bayou country, surrounded by wetlands , as well as widespread industrial areas near the Gulf Coast. Approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of Orange, it meets the Neches River from the west to form the 17-mile-long (27 km) and 7-mile-wide (11 km) Sabine Lake , which drains through Sabine Pass to the Gulf of Mexico. The city of Port Arthur, Texas , sits along

2040-428: The residents' houses. Bradley said it was so crowded in those houses sometimes when the soldiers were sleeping, there would hardly be any walking room. Bradley also said a few of the troops were disrespectful towards the residents' land and crops, and would tear down crops for extra food. However, for the most part, residents and soldiers established good relations. During the exercises, 26 men died, most from drowning in

2091-447: The river was an area of widespread logging . The discovery of petroleum at nearby Spindletop led to the river basin becoming the scene of widespread oil drilling. The lower river became heavily industrialized, and developed with many oil refineries and chemical plants. Such alteration to the wetlands resulted in a degradation of the water quality. Since the late 20th century, there have been federal, state, and local efforts to restore

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2142-422: The river when the first European explorers arrived in the 16th century. The river was named in 1716 by Spanish explorer Domingo Ramón, and appeared as Río de Sabinas on a 1721 map. The river was used by French traders, and at various times, the river was claimed by both Spain and France. After the acquisition by Spain of the French territory of Louisiana in 1763, following France's defeat by Great Britain in

2193-494: The river. Neither country would put military troops or civil police there. The indefinite boundary was resolved by the Adams–Onis Treaty of 1819, which established the Sabine River as the boundary from the Gulf to the 32nd parallel. The Spanish delay in the ratification of the treaty, and Mexico gaining independence in 1821, reignited the boundary dispute. The United States, at the insistence of Anthony Butler , claimed for

2244-631: The union of three branches: the Cowleech Fork, Caddo Fork, and South Fork. The Cowleech Fork rises in northwestern Hunt County and flows southeast for 49.2 miles (79.2 km). The Caddo Fork, shown as "Caddo Creek" on federal maps, rises in two tributary forks, the East Caddo Fork and the West Caddo Fork, in northwestern Hunt County. The South Fork rises in the southwestern corner of Hunt County and flows east for 28.3 miles (45.5 km), joining

2295-545: The war only one TD battalion ever fought in an engagement quite like that which had originally been envisaged, at the Battle of El Guettar . The tank destroyer command eventually numbered over 100,000 men and 80 battalions equipped with 36 tank destroyers or towed anti-tank guns each. Immediately after the war, the force was disbanded and the anti-tank role was formally taken over by the Infantry, Engineer and Armor branches. The exercise

2346-502: The western shore of Sabine Lake Archeological evidence indicates the valley of the river has been inhabited for as long as 12,000 years by indigenous peoples. Starting in the eighth century, the Caddo inhabited the area, building extensive earthwork mounds in complexes expressing their cosmology. The Caddo culture flourished until the late 13th century. Descendants of the Caddo were living along

2397-447: Was 1 1/2 feet above full pool. When the reservoir level dropped to 173.69 ft, 9 gates were in operation at 20 ft. The previous record level of 173.93 ft was on May 18, 1989. At that time, the spillway gates were opened to 9 ft. The maximum height is 28 ft and with nine 9 gates open, the discharge rate is over 190,000 ft per second, which is equivalent to the flow over Niagara Falls . The peak water flow from

2448-466: Was a shipping point for areas as far west as Burkeville . Sabine River ports from Sabine Pass in river mileage were "Belgrade", 171 miles; "Stark's Landing" 191 miles; "Loftin Ferry", and "Bayou Lanacoco" 220 miles; "Hickman's Ferry" 252 miles; "Burnham's Landing" 261 miles; and "Burr's Ferry" 281 miles. The area's geography remained one of the least understood in the region. Various Spanish maps had errors in

2499-457: Was also notable for the first wide-scale testing of the new C ration . Valuable data was obtained regarding weight of meals, composition and shape of can used. The resulting amendments produced the standard "C" field ration used by U.S ground forces for the bulk of World War II. North Louisiana The northwestern portion of Louisiana is culturally and economically attached to Northeast Texas and Southwest Arkansas . Combined they comprise

2550-558: Was distinct from the forward placement of towed antitank guns assigned as a normal part of the Infantry Regiment. The Louisiana Maneuvers' data showed that the Infantry's AT guns took a much higher toll on "enemy" tanks than did the tank destroyer battalions' guns. However, the conclusion drawn was that a tank destroyer force of independent tank destroyer battalions should be raised. In actual practice during World War II, such massed enemy tank attacks rarely happened; indeed, throughout

2601-440: Was to advance upon and seize Shreveport, Louisiana. The Red force was much smaller and tasked largely with positional defense for a 100-mile zone south of the city. The Blue Army emerged victorious, due chiefly to General George S. Patton, who commanded the Blue 2nd Armored Division. Omar Bradley , who participated in the exercises, later said that Louisianans welcomed the soldiers with open arms. Some soldiers even slept in some of

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