I went to Niblett's Bluff today to make some observations, photographs and sketches of the original Confederate earth works there. Niblett's Bluff is located on the Sabine River on the Louisiana-Texas boarder west of Vinton, Louisiana, a couple of miles north of I-10, and off La. 109. I walked the entire trench line and got a pretty good idea of what it is, although there are plenty of modern intrusions that obscure parts of it. It was obvious to me that the Niblett's Bluff Confederate fortitication is a redoubt in shape, or rectangular. Starting at the northwest corner on the Sabine River, from the river bluff, the trench line goes east several hundred feet to where the former Niblett's Bluff Bible Church is along Wright Road. It takes a sharp turn to the south and just before the entrance road to the park, takes a zig-zag shape. On the south side of the entrance road it makes another zig-zag and continues on and turns west and continues on to the bluff at the river.

The remaining earth works are very well preserved on the north side of the line. The east side is much more shallow but can still be distinctly followed. The south side is pretty obscure on the east end, but is much more clearly defined further west. The bluff appears to have been the west side of the redoubt and now has much park activity, i.e., cabins, park roads, etc. However I walked the bluff to find the best looking defensive position for artillery. A place called Myrtles Bridge appeared to me to be the highest part of the bluff and looks like a very commanding position for the Sabine River. If I was the commander, that's where I would have put an artillery position.

The cemetery just on the other side of north side of the trench line and reportedly dates to the 1860s. There is a Confederate monument honoring the 30 Confederate soldiers who died there in a measles epidemic. All and all, Niblett's Bluff is well preserved and I'm looking forward to the new WBTS museum being planned there.