The Angelina River is formed by the confluence of Barnhardt and Shawnee creeks 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Laneville in southwest central Rusk County, Texas, United States.

[2] A tributary of the Neches River, the river flows southeast for 120 miles (193 km) and forms the boundaries between Cherokee and Nacogdoches, Angelina and Nacogdoches, and Angelina and San Augustine counties.

The river was named for a native Hasinai girl whom Spanish missionaries called Angelina.

Spanish land grants along the stream date back to the later eighteenth century, and there was considerable settlement in the area during the Mexican period.

[3] In 1832, the Battle of Nacogdoches spilled over onto the Angelina, when James Bowie ambushed the fleeing Mexican army at this river.