U.S. Army Camel Experiment

U.S. Army Camel Experiment (1855-1866) - The experiment to determine if camels were better suited than mules and horses for service in the southwestern U.S. was authorized by the Congress of the United States when they appropriated $30,000 for the camel project on 3 Mar 1855. {"selectable":false,"width":"800"} Old Camp Verde Preserved Officer's Quarters. Benicia Arsenal 1854 Camel Barn. Origins In 1854 then Secretary of War Jefferson Davis wrote in his annual report to the U.S. Congress of the need to use of camels and dromedaries for military and other purposes in the desert southwest. Congress appropriated $30,000 for the camel project on 3 Mar 1855. Major Henry C. Wayne was detailed to procure the camels. USS Supply, under the command of U.S. Navy Lieutenant, David Dixon Porter took Major Wayne to the Mediterranean and Africa to procure the animals and hire some native handlers. They returned on 14 May 1856 with thirty-four camels and five handlers docking at Indianola, Texas. Porter was sent back for more camels and Major Wayne moved the existing herd to Camp Verde (3) via San Antonio. Porter returned from his second trip with forty-one more camels and ten handlers. The herd at Camp Verde then numbered seventy camels with some fifteen hired handlers. First Experiments U.S. Civil War Conclusion See Also: Beale Camel Experiment Jefferson Davis Edward Fitzgerald Beale May Humphreys Stacey Sources: Links: Thayer - The Report of Edward Fitzgerald Beale To The Secretary of War Concerning The Wagon Road From Fort Defiance to the Colorado River April 26, 1858. Wikipedia - United States Camel Corps Visited: No