De Soto Parish
| DeSoto Parish, Louisiana | ||
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DeSoto Parish Courthouse in Mansfield
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 Location in the U.S. state of Louisiana |
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 Louisiana's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1843 | |
| Named for | settler, Marcel DeSoto | |
| Seat | Mansfield | |
| Largest city | Mansfield | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 895 sq mi (2,318 km2) | |
| • Land | 876 sq mi (2,269 km2) | |
| Population (est.) | ||
| • (2015) | 27,052 | |
| • Density | 30/sq mi (12/km²) | |
| Congressional district | 4th | |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 | |
| Website | www |
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DeSoto Parish (French: Paroisse DeSoto) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 26,656. Its seat is Mansfield. The parish was formed in 1843.
DeSoto Parish is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City, LA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
It is a typical misconception that the parish was named after Hernando de Soto, the Spaniard who explored the future southeastern United States and discovered and named the Mississippi River. The parish was in fact named after the unrelated Marcel DeSoto, who led the first group of European settlers there, to a settlement historically known as Bayou Pierre. The parish's name is also commonly misspelled following the explorer's name as "De Soto Parish," but it is properly spelled following the settler's name as "DeSoto Parish."
The Battle of Mansfield was fought in DeSoto Parish on April 8, 1864. General Alfred Mouton was killed in the fighting, but his position was carried forward by Prince de Polignac, a native of France. The battle is commemorated at the Mansfield State Historic Site four miles south of Mansfield off Louisiana Highway 175. The Confederate victory prevented a planned Union invasion thereafter of Texas. Mansfield, also known as the Battle of Sabine Crossroads, a Confederate victory, occurred with one year and one day left in the duration of the war. Mansfield was quickly followed by the Battle of Pleasant Hill to the south.
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