The U.S. Camel Corps

By Nancy J. Farrier

Imagine an 1800’s Cavalry charge. Men in blue charging full speed to rescue travelers in distress. Now, imagine those same cavalrymen on camels in the Southwest. This picture doesn’t have quite the same effect as the one with horses, yet for a short time, the Cavalry in the Southwest did experiment with the use of camels.

In 1855, Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis, approved the purchase of camels to use in the Southwest as an experiment in traversing the arid areas where they had little water. The first shipment of thirty-three camels arrived in Indianola, Texas in 1856. They were accompanied by an Arab caretaker, Hadji Ali, whom the cavalrymen renamed Hi Jolly. (Today, Hi Jolly’s tomb can be seen in Quartzite, Arizona.) A second shipment of over forty camels arrived the following year.

The camels were a mix of the Arabian camel with one hump, the Bactrian camel, which had two humps and a few cross breed camels, a mix of the first two. The hybrid camel was much larger and could carry twice the weight the other camels could—over 2,000 pounds. The camels proved themselves in many ways. They could go two days without water and carry approximately four times the amount of goods a mule could pack.

On the down side, the camels were temperamental. They were known to fight among themselves, spit at their handlers, and they smelled horrible. The Cavalry men, used to using force to get a mules attention found that when they slapped a camel, the animal would strike back. They were not docile at all. Plus, they scared the mules, horses and cattle to the point of sending them running.

Despite many successful trips with the camels, when the Civil War started, the use of camels discontinued. Some camels were sold to the Ringling Brothers circus, zoos or traveling shows. Some were used to carry mail or freight. Others were turned loose in the desert. Stories abound about the wild camels in the Southwest with many sightings, the last documented sighting in the early 1950’s.

One of the best known legends about camels, and my favorite, is the story of Red Ghost. Red Ghost appeared in Southeastern Arizona in the early 1880’s where two ranching families lived. One morning the men were gone and one of the women went to the spring for water while the other wife continued cleaning and watching the children. At the sound of screams, the woman in the house peered out the window expecting to see raiding Apaches. Instead, she was horrified to see a huge red beast, ridden by the devil, running through the yard. She barricaded the door trying to protect the children. The other woman didn’t return.

When the men came home that night they found the missing woman at the spring trampled almost beyond recognition. In the morning they found cloven hoof prints beside her; prints the size of horse’s hooves. Nearby they found long reddish hairs.

Not long afterwards, two prospectors were awakened in the middle of the night to the sound of

thundering hooves. The beast trampled their tent and they were sure they would be killed. The beast ran off without them getting a good look, but they were both very frightened.

Other people reported seeing the camel with the skeleton rider on its back. The angry beast was accused of tramping people and killing animals. Prospectors who finally caught sight of the animal tried to shoot it, but missed. However part of the rider became dislodged as the camel ran away. When they investigated, the men found a skeletal head on the ground.

Finally, a rancher managed to shoot the camel as it ate in his vegetable garden. He discovered the skeleton of a man, tied to the camel’s back. The straps had worn deep grooves into the animal’s hide, probably causing much pain and the reason for his bad temper.

A sad story, possibly embellished, but probably containing some truth too. I recall first reading this story in an Arizona newspaper archive years ago. I am fascinated by the possibility of truth in there, and love to consider how legends such as Red Ghost might have started. Have you heard of the camel corps? Have you heard any of the stories surrounding this interesting bit of history?

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Nancy J Farrier is an award winning author who lives in Southern California in the Mojave Desert. She loves the Southwest and interesting historical past. Nancy and her husband have five children. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats, and spend time with her family. Nancy is represented by Karen Ball of The Steve Laube Literary Agency. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.