Camp Van Dorn
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Camp Van Dorn is a former military installation in Centreville, Mississippi, in both Wilkinson and Amite counties.[1] Established in 1942 during World War II, the base was named for Confederate General Earl Van Dorn from Mississippi. Holding up to 30,000 troops for training, it operated until 1946, after which it was declared surplus to government needs.
In 1950 a certificate of clearance was issued.[2] Since then most of the large property has been sold to a variety of landowners. Today the large property is used mostly for timberland and some ranching, but there is potential for other development.
Ordnance and related training
The US Army acquired 41,543 acres of land in Wilkinson and Amite counties, Mississippi, to construct a camp for basic and advanced divisional infantry training. It operated from 1942-1946.[3]
As the Army built up its forces, in 1943 some 30,000 soldiers were being trained and serving at Camp Van Dorn. They included about 3,000 African Americans of the 364th Regiment, another 3,653 black troops, and the remainder of the troops were white.[4] The small town of Centerville nearby had 1200 residents.
During World War II, the installation was established as a U.S. Army basic and advanced divisional infantry training camp. Ordnance training took place at multiple ranges and designated impact areas across the camp. Troop training included use of bayonets, mines, booby traps, bazookas, grenades, rifles, machine guns and field artillery."[1]