The US Army Camel Corps and other notable camels in US history

  • Context: History 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Ivan Seeking
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Army History
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the historical deployment of the US Army Camel Corps, initiated in February 1857, and the contrasting visions of Major Wayne and Secretary of War Jefferson Davis regarding the camels' use. Major Wayne advocated for a delay to develop domestically bred herds for broader commercial use, while Davis and John Floyd supported immediate military deployment. The camels became part of American folklore, with legends like the "Red Ghost" emerging, and unique military adaptations such as the small Gatling guns designed for camel-mounted troops.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the US Army's historical military strategies
  • Familiarity with the role of camels in American history
  • Knowledge of the Gatling gun and its applications
  • Awareness of folklore and its impact on cultural narratives
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the historical significance of the US Army Camel Corps
  • Explore the development and use of the Gatling gun in military history
  • Investigate the cultural impact of camels in American folklore
  • Study the logistics and challenges of deploying non-native animals in military operations
USEFUL FOR

Historians, military enthusiasts, folklorists, and anyone interested in the unique intersection of military history and cultural narratives in the United States.

Ivan Seeking
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
8,213
Reaction score
2,657
... A debate immediately arose over the deployment of the camels that would prove crucial in determining their future. Major Wayne's vision was one in which camels not only performed military service, but would also become a common feature of American commercial and private life. To this end, he proposed a three- to four-year delay of their deployment during which large, domestically bred herds could be raised, studied and trained. But both Jefferson Davis and his successor as secretary of war, John Floyd, backed immediate deployment limited to US Army service. Their views prevailed.

The Camel Corps' first assignment came in February 1857...

...Roaming the deserts, these camels unwittingly carved themselves a niche in American folklore. Legends of phantom camels popped up throughout the Southwest, prominent among them that of the "Red Ghost," which was said to have been sighted several times with a headless corpse strapped to its back. In 1901, members of the US-Mexico boundary commission reported seeing a herd of wild camels in southern Arizona... [continued]
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200203/camels.west.htm
 
Last edited:
Science news on Phys.org
You may wish to Google the temrs "Gatling" and "camel gun" too. It gets pretty weird, but verifiable, just same.

There were small Gatling guns made for the troops with camels.
 
Last edited:
turbo-1 said:
You may wish to Google the temrs "Gatling" and "camel gun" too. It gets pretty weird, but verifiable, just same.

There were small Gatling guns made for the troops with camels.

Of course there was a one humper and a two humper camel gun. :rolleyes: