Ships of The Desert—US Camel Corps

By Suzanne Norquist

Everyone who studies United States history knows that the army used horses and mules to transport personnel and cargo. This worked well in the East, where water and vegetation were abundant.

In 1848, the United States acquired a massive swath of desert when they signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This included the area of California, Nevada, and most of Utah and Arizona, as well as parts of New Mexico and Colorado.

A few military leaders proposed using “Ships of the Desert”—camels—in this arid region. Middle-Eastern and even European militaries used the beasts for this purpose. Why not the United States?

Senator Jefferson Davis, who became the Secretary of War in 1853, finally convinced the military to acquire a few camels to see how they performed.

Purchasing the camels proved to be a significant undertaking. The voyage through the Middle East took over a year, during which thirty-three animals were purchased, including saddles and gear, and five camel drivers were hired. Ships for the return trip required special decks to carry the large beasts. A second group of forty-one camels followed the first.

The camels and their handlers were stationed at Camp Verde, Texas. The military cared for the animals and set up some competitions between them and mules. As expected, camels could carry more than double and go for long stretches without water. They ate vegetation that other animals refused.

However, they frightened horses, spit on people they didn’t like, and could be more stubborn than a mule. Most military men didn’t want to work with camels.

Only one major operation included them, and it was considered experimental. In 1857, Edward Fitzgerald Beale led an expedition to survey a road through the desert from Texas to California—a southern alternative to the Oregon Trail. As part of his contract, he was required to take twenty-five camels. He reported that they performed better than the mules. In fact, he recommended purchasing more.

Other shorter treks supported this recommendation.

Even with the positive reports, the camel corps didn’t survive long after the start of the Civil War. Camp Verde was occupied by the Confederate Army for most of the war, and they didn’t value the animals. After the war, Confederate President Jefferson Davis’s association with the camels didn’t help the cause.

Trains soon crisscrossed the country, eliminating the need for these sturdy pack animals. The camels were sold to circuses, transportation outfits, and individuals. The Overland Mail Company purchased the beasts to carry mail from Omaha to Sacramento.

Some ended up as feral camels, with reported sightings throughout the southwestern United States for many years.

Perhaps if camels had been introduced sooner, or if the president of the Confederacy hadn’t been the person responsible for their use, the awkward-looking beasts would be as common as horses.

Or not.

*** 

”Mending Sarah’s Heart” in the Thimbles and Threads Collection

Four historical romances celebrating the arts of sewing and quilting.

Mending Sarah’s Heart by Suzanne Norquist

Rockledge, Colorado, 1884

Sarah seeks a quiet life as a seamstress. She doesn’t need anyone, especially her dead husband’s partner. If only the Emporium of Fashion would stop stealing her customers, and the local hoodlums would leave her sons alone. When she rejects her husband’s share of the mine, his partner Jack seeks to serve her through other means. But will his efforts only push her further away?

Suzanne Norquist is the author of two novellas, “A Song for Rose” in A Bouquet of Brides Collection and “Mending Sarah’s Heart” in the Thimbles and Threads Collection. Everything fascinates her. She has worked as a chemist, professor, financial analyst, and even earned a doctorate in economics. Research feeds her curiosity, and she shares the adventure with her readers. She lives in New Mexico with her mining engineer husband and has two grown children. When not writing, she explores the mountains, hikes, and attends kickboxing class.