On the third of March in 1855, the United States Congress sanctioned the expenditure of $30,000 on behalf of the War Department for the acquisition of camels and dromedaries to be used in military expeditions. This innovative approach proved to be moderately successful until the camels became mere showpieces with the onset of the Civil War.
War Secretary Jefferson Davis conceived the idea, which had been percolating for several years among certain high-ranking officers. Within a short time after the funds were allocated, Major Henry C. Wayne from the Quartermaster Department, alongside Lieutenant David Dixon Porter, embarked on a global quest to select the most suitable camels for their mission. Their journey took them six months, and they visited places such as Tunisia, Malta, Greece, Turkey, and Egypt. Ultimately, they chose a diverse group comprised of two Bactrian camels, nineteen dromedaries, nineteen Arabians, one Tunisian, a young Arabian, and a Tuili camel.
The cost for each camel was roughly $250. The animals were boarded onto the ship Supply on February 15, 1856, and made landfall in Indianola, Texas, on May 14th, marking the end of a strenuous three-month voyage. Once they had recovered from their journey for a couple of weeks, Wayne herded them 120 miles to San Antonio and eventually to Camp Verde. This is where the camels would be housed in a specially designed corral and begin their new American journey.
Wayne’s Camels: The Desert Marvels
Wayne illustrated the camels’ superior capabilities, especially their prowess in transporting supplies more efficiently than horses and mules. For instance, mule-drawn wagons typically required nearly five days to travel to San Antonio and back, carrying 1,800 pounds of oats. In contrast, the camels completed the identical trip in a mere two days, delivering more than twice that amount of oats.
Training ensued as soldiers learned how to handle and maintain the camels. Adapting to the camels’ unique odour proved challenging. While not necessarily foul, the novelty of the smell was something the soldiers were unfamiliar with and had to get used to.
By 1857, the herd had burgeoned to seventy after Porter returned from a subsequent Egyptian trip with additional camels. However, when James Buchanan succeeded to the presidency, changes in the administration required Wayne to return to Washington, D.C., leaving the camels with little to no work.
Nonetheless, the camels were later engaged to assist in mapping out a major wagon route stretching from Fort Defiance in the New Mexico Territory to the Colorado River, near the boundary of California and Arizona. This task was assigned to Edward Fitzgerald Beale, who was initially reluctant to involve the camels in the expedition.
Camels Carrying the Weight
In practice, the camels excelled in their assignments, outperforming horses and mules in both speed and distance, comfortably hauling loads of up to 700 pounds. They effortlessly traversed treacherous landscapes, required sparse amounts of water, thrived in the scorching terrain, and impressed the men with their amiable dispositions.
By the end of the four-month, 1,200-mile trek, Beale’s perspective of the camels had profoundly shifted. He now admired their stamina and reliability. Impressively, they crossed the Colorado River without incident, whereas two horses and ten mules tragically perished.
Beale, together with Samuel A. Bishop, later capitalized on the camels, employing them to deliver supplies to Army outposts, transport mail, and aid stranded travelers in snowy conditions. The Army had now recognized their value for logistical tasks.
The camel initiative dwindled with the escalations of the Civil War leading to the demise of many camels. Those that survived in California and Camp Verde were auctioned off due to the rising costs of maintenance. Their fates varied from becoming circus spectacles, residing in zoos, or laboring as pack animals for prospectors.
Some camels were liberated into the Southwestern wild, surrendering their domesticated lives for freedom. The final known survivor of the U.S. Army’s camels, Topsy, passed away in 1934 at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, reportedly reaching the ripe old age of 80. Sightings of these desert denizens were occasionally confirmed in the following decades, with reports in the 1940s and another in 1956.
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