WHAT DO YOU KNOW about camels in Texas?

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The use of camels by the military was first proposed in 1836 by Maj. George H. Crosman, a West Point graduate. The idea came up again twelve years later when Maj. Henry C. Wayne endorsed the concept with a study for their use in the southwest. It was backed by Jefferson Davis, a U.S. senator from Mississippi at that time. In 1853, the Secretary of War established the U. S. Camel Corps with a grant from Congress for $20,000 to bring camels to Texas. On March 3, 1855, Maj. Wayne was made the commander of the corps and was dispatched to the Middle East to procure the exotic livestock. The U. S. Supply ship stopped in Tunisia, Malta, Greece, and Turkey bringing 33 camels with saddles and tack to America. One died, but a camel calf was born on the journey which landed in Indianola on the Texas coast. The caravan was moved to San Antonio while the ship left for a return voyage. Feb. 1857, Camp Verde in Kerr County became headquarters for the U.S. Camel Corp. The original herd was joined by 34 more camels plus five Arabian and Turkish camel drivers and a converted Ottoman whose Islamic name was Hadji Ali called "Hi Jolly." The first expedition with 25 camels, each with a load of 600 pounds, averaged about 25 miles each day drawing a crowd of astonished spectators when passing a settlement. One camel was bitten by a rattlesnake but according to records "it caused the animal no bother". Over the next years the camels proved very successful pack animals unless the land was covered by too many sharp rocks. During the Civil War the Union soldiers balked at having to deal with the obstinate beasts. At Camp Verde in 1861, Confederate troops took Union troops and commandeered forty of their camels. One rebel camel became famous and was named "Old Douglas" (I'm assuming after the commander of the company). He was used successfully in the Battle of Corinth (1862) After the Civil War ended in 1864, many of the camels were sold at auction and could be seen in Texas and were spotted in Arizona as late as 1891. Twice in my life I have had the questionable pleasure of riding on the back of a camel, once in Egypt and believe it or not, again in Texas. Friends kept several camels, smaller than the Egyptian variety, for entertaining at their ranch near San Saba, Texas. The animals were leased to film companies shooting on locations in the southwest as well as for entertaining friends at their house parties. Ref. San Angelo Standard Times archives. Carole Sikes

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