Camp Verde (3)

Camp Verde (3) (1856-1867) - A U.S. Army post established in 1856 as a part of the U.S. Army Camel Corps experiment in Kerr County, Texas. Surrendered to Confederate forces in 1861 and reoccupied by Union forces in 1866. Finally abandoned in 1869. Old Camp Verde Entrance Old Camp Verde Marker Old Camp Verde Preserved Officer's Quarters History The camp was established on 8 Jul 1856 on the north bank of Verde Creek in Kerr County, Texas. The post became the headquarters of the experimental U.S. Army Camel Corps and by 1857 about 77 camels and four camel drivers had been shipped by boat from Turkey to Camp Verde. Twenty-five of the camels were sent to Fort Tejon, California, in 1857. A successful breeding program produced additional camels. As the U.S. Civil War began the camp was surrendered on 7 Mar 1861 to Texas Confederate forces. About 80 camels and 2 of the camel drivers were surrendered to the Confederates. The Confederates established a prison camp in August 1861 to hold captured Union soldiers on the south side of Verde Creek across the creek and about 1,000 yards from Camp Verde. The prison was actually built in a steep canyon that became known as Prison Canyon and came to house over 600 Union soldiers before it was closed sometime in 1862. A second Camp Verde (4) was established nearby, by Confederate forces in 1862. Union forces reoccupied the original camp on 30 Nov 1866 but found only 10 camels remaining. The experiment was terminated and the camp was finally abandoned by the last garrison on 1 Apr 1869. Current Status Altered remains of the officer's quarters on private property, Kerr County, Texas Location: Private Property, Kerr County, Texas. Maps & Images Lat: 29.89077 Long: -99.12087 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 1,640' GPS Locations: 29.89077, -99.12087 Camp Verde 29.89039, -99.12038 Camp Verde Marker See Also: Camp Ives Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 780. Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 168. Luther, Joseph , Camp Verde: Texas Frontier Defense, Arcadia Publishing, 2012, ISBN 1614234663, 9781614234661, 192 pages. Links: North American Forts - Camp Verde Wikipedia - Camp Verde Texas Handbook On Line - Camp Verde Legends of America - Camp Verde Visited: 26 Nov 2011