Training Center Pineville Exhibits

Some of the oldest artifacts at the Louisiana Maneuvers and Military Museum include an 1840s British Belt Plate, a Louisiana Colonel’s uniform, a cannonball from the Civil War Red River Valley Campaign and the Battle Flag of the Madison Artillery. The Spanish-American War and Mexican Border War campaigns are represented by an officer’s saber, a campaign medal and the original sheet music of a march written for the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Louisiana Infantry or the 3-156 Infantry today. The World War I exhibit displays photographs of daily life at Camp Stafford, which later became Camp Beauregard, and now is known as Training Center Pineville. Also featured are artifacts from the 114th Engineer Battalion, 39th Division and photos of the 17th Division in training. The majority of our exhibits tell the story of the Louisiana Maneuvers – large-scale training operations carried out across Central Louisiana in the build-up for World War II. Items range from a railroad spike for the Claiborne-Polk Military Railroad to a shoeshine box carried by a local boy. Postcards and license plates exemplify the many camps and Army Airfields in the area at this time. Personal items such as V-Mail and sweetheart pillows are on display in our home front exhibit. Several Axis Forces artifacts are on display such as a German “Sturmgewehr,” a Japanese knee mortar and Japanese propaganda leaflets targeted toward American Soldiers. A burned battle flag flown from a Japanese warship in Hiroshima Harbor illustrates the tragedy and cost of war along with Concentration Camp money and charts used by the Nazis to label “Ubermenchen” and “Untermenchen” (Super human and sub Human races). The Korean War exhibit shows our first night fighting system the M3 Carbine with “Snooper Scope” attachment. We also have a PPSH-41 submachine that was carried by both the North Korean and Chinese Troops, an M40 Recoilless 106mm Rifle and a Chinese 82mm mortar. Don’t forget to visit our outdoor Vehicle Park where you will find Tanks, Anti-tank, Artillery, Engineer and wheeled vehicles!