A dash of American troops in Iraq, overcoming the desert sand in triumphal procession in Baghdad reminds color experiment using camels 1855-60 to militarily conquer the great American desert separating east and west coasts.
The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in December 1848 issued a rush to California. Eager miners had to choose from three difficult and dangerous journey to get there.
Fastest, but expensive, was a sea trip to Panama to Portage and the Pacificanother boat trip to San Francisco. Mid-continent journey requires scramble over the Rocky Mountains. The southern route across the desert country - recently won a prize in the Mexican War - had to contend with lack of water and feed the animals.
Jefferson Davis, Mississippi senator future president of the Confederacy --- --- suggested that camels are imported to supply through the southwestern desert, the gold miners --- and the return journey. His proposal wasgreeted with jeers and laughter in Congress.
In 1853, Davis was appointed Minister of War, and the place to pursue his camel business. Two years later, Congress appropriate $ 30,000 for the purchase of camels for military purposes.
Major Henry C. Wayne, was given the task to obtain camels. U.S. Navy Lt. David Porter, commander of a cargo ship was directed to transport supplies exotic animals. No man has ever seen a camel, except perhaps in the circus.
In Tunis, Waynepurchased the first camel to put his eyes, the asking price of a camel herder in surprise. In a short time, Wayne Porter and bought four camels broken, it soon died. One good camel was given to them by the Bey of Tunis.
Fortunately, an American named Gwinn Heap, who lived in Tunisia for many years, joined the expedition. He took two novice to Egypt nine camels were bought at very inflated prices.
With that, Heap went alone to Smyrna, where hisconjunction with the U.S. government was unknown. There he bought 23 healthy animals at a time when Wayne and Porter came.
Included in the colorful herd of camels was 33 "21 Arab beasts of burden (a hump), two Bactrians (two humps), nine dromedaries (bred for speeding) and one Tweel (enormous descendants of Arab women and men camel)."
Three of the original check was made to drive the camels during the three-month across the Atlantic. Camel driverwere Hadji Ali (Hi Jolly reduced to the sailors), George Caralambo (Greek George) and Elias Calles.
Camels were accommodated in the hold in the straw-padded booths. Hole was cut in the deck to accommodate Tweel hump. In rough weather, the animals were bound in the kneeling position, so it would break his legs.
One camel died on the road. However, six foals were born, and two of them survived. Thus, the expedition landed at Indianola, Texas, with one moreanimal before it began. After reaching the coast, camels, crazy --- violation of their harnesses, bellowing, kicking, and romping around.
Camels are a great curiosity. Newspapers front-page arrival. People in San Antonio laughed camels and doubted their power. Then, Wayne arranged a demonstration of their prowess.
He asked the crowd to point out the camel. One knelt down and was loaded two packages of hay weighing altogether 613 pounds - heavy loadthe mule. Then there were two more packages placed on the camel's back. Click, camel emerged easily walked - to cheers from the crowd.
The total cost of the expedition was $ 7,331. The balance of $ 30,000 appropriation was returned to the government - a precedent that never caught on.
Major Wayne set in a trailer for Camp Verde, the Army post 60 miles northwest of San Antonio. Heaps and Porter immediately returned to Asia Minor, where he purchased 42 more camels. Thisbrought to 75 the total number of imported animals.
On the way to Camp Verde, the caravan stopped to rest at Victoria. There Mrs. Mary Shirkey was allowed to clip enough camel hair weaving socks. She is sent to Wayne, and sent them to President Franklin Pierce. Mrs. Shirkey president sent a silver cup.
1st U.S. Camel Corps was designated března 1857th Edward Beale was placed in command. He was promoted and assigned duties in Washington, DC, whereCivil war was brewing.
Beale's appointment to the camel ride was the quirk of fate. He graduated from the Naval Academy, but resigned when President Millard Fillmore appointed him Superintendent of Indian Affairs in California.
When gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in 1849, Beale and courier armies were selected to report to Washington, DC They were ordered to different routes, so the report would go through even if one of them died inattempt.
Beale chose a dangerous path. He shipped south to San Blas then set off on horseback overland to Vera Cruz through hostile territory. On the coast of the Persian Gulf seized the ship into Washington. Was the first to arrive at the capital city, who proudly eight pounds of gold-nugget.
Government in 1885 was still seeking an acceptable, all-weather route through the vast American continent to California. Beale was ordered to take the camels and identifying ways the 35thparallel from Fort Defiance, Arizona, the Colorado River crossing.
Left Party Camp Verde in June 1857, with 25 camels, mules, sheep, dogs, delivery wagons and regular Army cavalry.
Camels on the first lagged with sore humps because of inactivity seaworthy.
At the time they reached El Paso, however, Wayne reported to Secretary of War Floyd
"Working under all the disadvantages resulting from the fact that we are not a man who knows something ofCamels, or how to pack, but we arrived without incident.
"Even though we used camels every day with heavy packages, which have less back pain and disability far more than would be the case traveling with pack mules.
Camel live and keep on eating, which reject the mule, which grows in greatest abundance in most barren desert of our American --- while greasewood, a small bitter Bush is useless for any purpose.
"Isaid, the highest authority when leaving San Antonio that neither of them would ever El Paso, that would be on the road. This prediction was verified fact. "
In another report, just before reaching the lake, Beale wrote:
"Our horses are now starting to feel very much because he was almost continuously at work for 36 hours without water. One of the most painful sights I witnessed was a group of them is a small barrel of water andtrying to drink from the bung-hole, frantic with anxiety and desire to get to it!
"Our camels seemed to this procedure with great contempt and kept quietly browsing on the grass and bushes."
After arriving in Colorado, a regular trip to the general view of the transition wary. She had a fear of camels rivers and refusing, or would be able to swim. However, they are wading in a calm, and all reached the other side safely. Ten mules and two horsesdrowned.
Beale and Hi Jolly, decked in the Arabian robes and bells, rode triumphantly astride their two Bactrians the village Los Angeles. The mission was a success.
The route will be mapped one day become a famous highway Route 66, now Interstate 40th
Who want to test the endurance of camels in winter, the Beale on the same route back to the beginning of 1858. Camels were indifferent to the cold weather.
Secretary Floyd was impressed with the performance of camels'1000 and ordered the purchase of other animals. However, Congress was more interested in the possibility of civil war at home. All the money was spent on conventional defense.
Camp Verde and his camels fell to Confederate forces in February 1861st Without any experience in the management of camels, the Confederates killed many "ships of the desert" as nuisances.
When Union forces again, Camp Verde, the remaining camels were scattered to different owners. Beale had 28 of them to LosAngeles. They were housed on the main street to transport mail and baggage from San Pedro.
The last 33 animals were auctioned by the government McLeneghan rancher named Sam. He sold three to a circus, and using other services for freight for many years.
Camels are able to make and cheap. Yet, as the caravan approached the city, the driver will have to continue riding and yelling "come camels, camels are coming!"
This was a warning for horse riders, whose mountsusually scared the strange-looking foul smelling camels. Nevada passed a law levying $ 100 fines for using a camel on public roads.
McLeneghan camels eventually turned loose. They and their descendants wandered the desert a few Texas, Oklahoma and Arizona for many years.
Historian Robert froman confirms current newspaper articles, the huge, wild camel with a skeleton of a man strapped to his back roamed Arizona and trampled to death when a womansurprised spring.
After furious camel was called the Red Ghost. It was shot to death in 1893 - some human bones are still attached to his hump.
Middle East drivers who came up with a shipment of camels and diffuse. Calles ended in Mexico, where his son, Plutarco, became president of Mexico at the beginning of 1920th Greek George served in the long term with the U.S. Army and died in Montebello, California, in 1913.
Hi Jolly became a living legendwest. Once - offended because he was not invited to the picnic in Los Angeles - Hi Jolly departed the meeting by going into her cart pulled by its two domestic camels.
Syrian camel driver, a U.S. Army scout supposedly died in 1903 with his camel out into the Arizona desert, his arm around the neck of his faithful steed. Hi Jolly monument marking the "last camp" was built in Quartzsite, Ariz.
In April 1934, Oakland (Calif.) Tribune reported: "Topsy,Last American camel, who traveled through the wilderness of Arizona and California died today in Griffith Park - Guide destroyed when he became crippled with paralysis of age. "Her ashes were buried in the Hi Jolly monument in Quartzsite.
April 20, 2003
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