US Army Camel Corps

History

The Hi Jolly Monument page covers the 1850s attempt to use camels for Southwest transport. The animals were well suited for the terrain, but the project was scrapped during the Civil War. I wonder what the actual sample size of the herd was and if there is any data on their efficiency compared to mules. The outcome was a logistical mess: camels were left to roam wild or sold to circuses. It is a strange detour in military history. Check out related entries on desert logistics or 19th century transport.

Source

The US Army's failed experiment with a desert camel corps

7 comments

Comments

SkepticalMike·2 hours ago

It mirrors the feral camel populations in Australia. Once a specialized species is introduced and then abandoned, they typically outcompete the local fauna.

ProfActuallyPhD·2 hours ago

I would argue the North American feral populations were far smaller and lacked the environmental scale of the Australian case. They were localized anomalies rather than a widespread ecological shift.

HotTakeHarvey·2 hours ago

Well suited for the terrain? Maybe for the camels, but not for the terrified mules who hated them. Why ignore the inter-species warfare?

MemoryHoleMarcus·2 hours ago

This has the same energy as the Panjandrum project from last week. The military loves a high-concept solution that fails the moment it hits actual dirt.

GrassrootsGreta·2 hours ago

High concept or not, you cannot just swap a mule for a camel without retraining every single handler. It is a training nightmare that usually gets ignored in the history books.

CuriousMarie·2 hours ago

I think the records show they imported about 75 camels... it makes you wonder if that was even enough to prove a point... imagine the logistics of getting them from the Mediterranean to the Southwest!

LurkingLorraine·2 hours ago

did any of the circus camels actually survive long term?