Confederate Camel

[lupaglupa]

It's been a while since I read the book on the camels... I think that one of the officers who worked on that project knew one of the officers who was originally in command of the 43rd MS and sent the camel to him. But, I could be wrong!

 

[RoadDog]

Have your Camel and smoke it too.

RoadDog

 

[lupaglupa]

Have your Camel and smoke it too.

RoadDog

It's funny that you quote that - I was wondering just last night, is there any connection between the US Army Camels and the cigarettes?

 

[Kurt G]

It's funny that you quote that - I was wondering just last night, is there any connection between the US Army Camels and the cigarettes?

No connection . Camels were first marketed just before WW1 and were a blend of Virginia and Turkish tobacco .Apparently "Turkish" referred to the old Ottoman Empire at that time and the camel became a marketing symbol.

 

[Pollaco]

I read that the original herd of camels had a cross between the Dromedary and the Bactrian. I wasn't aware they could cross. But I guess some animals can, like a horse and donkey.

 

[Kurt G]

I read that the original herd of camels had a cross between the Dromedary and the Bactrian. I wasn't aware they could cross. But I guess some animals can, like a horse and donkey.

The first group included 2 Bactrian and one hybrid , the rest being Dromedaries . I looked up the hybrids and they are still bred . They are larger and can carry heavier loads than the Dromedaries and are supposed to have a milder disposition than either . I can't find anything about what camels were brought over in the second expedition.

 

[Tom Hughes]

It's been a while since I read the book on the camels... I think that one of the officers who worked on that project knew one of the officers who was originally in command of the 43rd MS and sent the camel to him. But, I could be wrong!

I had heard a story passed down the line that the Confederates were upset their camel was killed but were so hungry that they ate him. Not sure if it's true or not. But camel steak would look mighty good to a starving soldier

 

[Kurt G]

I had heard a story passed down the line that the Confederates were upset their camel was killed but were so hungry that they ate him. Not sure if it's true or not. But camel steak would look mighty good to a starving soldier

I also read that Douglas was eaten . Things were tough at Vicksburg.

 

[lupaglupa]

I had heard a story passed down the line that the Confederates were upset their camel was killed but were so hungry that they ate him. Not sure if it's true or not. But camel steak would look mighty good to a starving soldier

I also read that Douglas was eaten . Things were tough at Vicksburg.

I imagine they did eat him, no matter how they felt about him. They needed food!

 

[Seduzal]

Awesome work! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Pollaco]

That's the story I've heard also, Douglas was eaten by the hungry soldiers. Then the "Artists" took over and his bones were carved into souvenir rings and whatever. I imagine a camel has several hundred pounds of bones so there should be a few souvenirs out there. Trouble is the story also has bones other than camel being carved up and passed on as belonging to Douglas.

 

[Kentucky Derby Cavalier.]

Love it.

 

[Tom Hughes]

I imagine they did eat him, no matter how they felt about him. They needed food!

I'm just glad that Douglas the camel has a headstone in the Confederate Cemetery in Vicksburg.

 

[19thOhio]

I immediately thought of these pictures when I saw Kurt G's pictures on the heading page yesterday. I took these last October visiting Indianola following the trail of the 19th Ohio. There was very little activity in the area other than a fisherman getting bitten by a small shark he had landed on the beach.

 

[Pollaco]

Many thanks, I was beginning to think most people would sort of believe Indianola didn't really exist. There isn't much there now but it did see some history in it's short life-time. It's hey day was pretty much during the Civil War era, which includes camels.

 

[19thOhio]

Here are some more pictures describing the history of the area. The German immigration sign is interesting. The area was sort of a Texas "Ellis Island," admitting immigrants. My sources describe San Antonio as seeing various races of men and various languages including Germans, Texans, Mexicans, Frenchmen, Irishmen and Indians.

Green Lake is where they waited for weeks swatting mosquitos and drinking bad water. Although there is a sign, the lake is not visible from the major roads in the area. Disappointed!

This part of the story seems to be pretty much ignored as many regiments served from early 1861 through November of 1865 including the 13th and 19th Ohio Infantry Regiments.

I have pictures of other history panels of the area if anyone is interested either here or via email for anyone researching this area history.

 

[Trooper "D"]

I live about 100 mile from the old seaport of Indianola, Texas. It's no longer there, several hurricanes saw to that.I find the history behind this once thriving seaport fascinating. It was the drop off point for the journey to San Antonio, Many famous people traveled through this town including Robert E. Lee. This was the town where the army brought in and unloaded the camels for Jefferson Davis' Camel Corp. 34 camels were unloaded in Indianola on May 14, 1856. On Feburary 10, 1857 a second herd of 41 camels was unloaded at this port. They were then driven to Camp Verde, Texas to join the first batch. 5 from the first herd had died , so the Army now had 70 camels. The Corps was disbanded due to the war. Looks like Douglas came from one of these this batchs of camels as some where sold but I think others were just turned loose. There was possibly a 3rd shipment,I guess because the army had roughly 100 at one time. Douglas just wandered up toward Mississippi. Curious how he crossed the river though.

There was no Camel Corps. They were pack animals.

 

[lupaglupa]

There was no Camel Corps. They were pack animals.

There was a plan to create a Camel Corps but it fell through.

 

[7th Texas Mounted Rifles]

Douglas was the mascot of Company A , 43rd Mississippi at Vicksburg . Left over from the U.S. military's camel experiment in the Southwest , Douglas was apparently a bit cantankerous and frightened the horses . Sometimes used to carry band instruments , he met his demise from Union gunfire.
This is a 54mm (1/32nd scale) camel left over from a nativity scene I did many years ago . Painted in acrylics .

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Dang, this is sharp!

I'd like to commission you on a repeat of this, with a Camp Verde, Texas/Camel Corps style twist!

 

[Trooper "D"]

There was a plan to create a Camel Corps but it fell through.

How did it fall through and what were the camels supposed to be doing in the camel corps?