Camels in the army

Wrangler Joined : 25 May 2007 Posts : 11

My question are these,

1. Who came up with the idea to use camels instead of horses in Texas in the army?

2. Isn't it true that it was just to weird an idea for the army to keep it up?

3. If there never were trucks and tanks, would the army think of using camels today in places that are arid?

Thanks, Nathan

Subject: Re: Camels in the army Tue 12 Jun 2007, 11:11 pm

Did you ever find anything on this ? I'm always looking for something exciting about history and this is pretty out of the ordinary. We'll look and see if thsi was true or not.
Mari

Trailblazer Joined : 29 May 2007 Posts : 88

I think the idea, as far as a level where the approval could come, was Jeff Davis's. There are some books and articles on the subject, but I'll be flipped if I can recall names. Nothing recent that I know of. Which doesn't mean there isn't.

It wasn't so much that the idea was "too weird" for the Army as it had too many problems that seemed (and continue to seem) insoluble in practice. We had no troops familiar with the care, management and use of camels, so we had to import not only camels but drivers (anybody recall the song "Hi Jolly"? New Christy Minstrels did the version I'm familiar with, but it didn't originate with them as far as I know). Horses didn't like camels. Troops didn't like camels. The historical record (not only here but every place else I know of) suggests that NOBODY likes camels much. May find them useful and use them - but like them? No, I don't think so. They are nasty, ill-tempered, will (even the "tamest" of them) bite you if they get a chance, spit on you, and other things. They do have an ability to carry more on less fodder and water than horses, though.

Didn't work out, and the horrid things were finally just turned loose. I believe that some descendants survive till now, in Arizona I think, though not Texas (as far as I know).

Oh - it was DEFINTELY true, did happen. I think they may have been called "Jeff Davis's Folly" by some...

Subject: Re: Camels in the army Fri 22 Jun 2007, 7:46 pm

That's funny but that's probably what happened ! I was waiting unitil we found more info on the camels but looks like it's all right here.
Mari

Trailblazer Joined : 29 May 2007 Posts : 88

Oh - there is more available, though I don't have it personally, not in documentable form.

Wrangler Joined : 25 May 2007 Posts : 11

Thank you for responding.

L. R.

Subject: Re: Camels in the army Tue 05 Aug 2008, 9:02 pm

In 1001 Texas Place Names, Fred Tarpley wrote, concerning the community of Mahomet, in Burnet County:

"Every [?] texas school child learn of the Arab camel drivers brought to Texas in the late 1850s in the U.S. Army experiment for western wildreness transportation. That era survives in the town name, believed to refer to a person of the Moslem faith who came on the dromedary adventure." (page 132)

The 'Handbook of Texas Online,' however, assigns the naming of the little town to a different motivation:

http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/MM/hnm5.html

The Handbook does mention there having been two sites in the eastern portion of the county which bore this name, so maybe ....?

Elsewhere in the Handbook, it is said that the escort party for the camels consisted of three Arabs and two Turks. I wonder what happened to these fellows; did they remain in Texas, perhaps? farao

On the whole, the whole venture seems to have been sad for the camels .... not to mention having been unsuccessful Crying or Very sad

http://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/CC/quc1.html
_________________
The woman of the frontier made the best of her situation, for she had developed a respect for the land that gave her freedom as well as the courage to live in it.
~~~ from the perspective of Anne Seagraves

Wrangler Joined : 25 May 2007 Posts : 11

We know it, boy do we know it. Very Happy

Mom & Dad too.

Mahomet means "Mohammad". Are they pronounced the same.

On the "farao" question I'll ask my resident expert. king

Subject: Teddy the Camel Sat 09 Aug 2008, 4:25 pm

A measure of good news farao

http://www.alliancenews.net/home/story/13459.html
_________________
The woman of the frontier made the best of her situation, for she had developed a respect for the land that gave her freedom as well as the courage to live in it.
~~~ from the perspective of Anne Seagraves