As weird as it might sound, on this day in 1855 Major Henry C. Wayne set sail on the USS Supply to procure a small herd of camels for the US military. 

He stopped in the Mediterranean making it to Greece, Turkey, Egypt (of course), and Tunisia, picking up 33 camels, two being pregnant. They also hired five expert camel drivers and bought a variety of gear including saddles and saddle packs that they wouldn’t be able to find anywhere in the United States for obvious reasons. 

After nearly a year of procuring camels and the necessary assets, the caravan headed back for the States. The crew were given very specific instructions on the care of the camels and it’s reported that they camels were in better shape upon their arrival in Indianola, Texas than when they had set sail.

So how did this all start? The idea was proposed as early as 1836 to use camels as beasts of burden. A select few military leaders had seen the use of camels in their world travels and regarded them as very heart animals, especially compared to the typical pack mule. 

The idea was originally shot down as the whole thing would be much more costly than using the mules and cavalry the military already had. But with the US military increasingly involved in the Southwestern territories, the use of camels in the dry and hot desert regions didn’t seem so ridiculous. In March 1955 Congress set aside $30,000 for the United States Camel Corps. 

The camels were used in several long survey expeditions in the Southwest, carrying load of up to 600 pounds and outperforming both the mules and horses. Unsurprisingly the camels did very well in the “badly-watered areas.” Leaders of the expeditions couldn’t deny the camel’s endurance. At the end of and 85-mile expedition, the horses and mules were exhausted, but the camels were perfectly content. In another instance, a rattlesnake bit a camel on the ankle. The party dressed the wound and were worried about the fate of the camel, but it simply carried on, no worse for wear. The head of the first expedition went so far as to say he’d prefer one camel to four mules.  

Not long after it had begun, the United States Camel Corps ran into a major bump in addition to the hard-nosed mule-lobbyists (yes, this was a thing): the American Civil War. In the midst of the national crisis, the Camel Corps fizzled out. 

Confederate forces overtook the ranch that was home to the camels in 1861. When Union forces recaptured the territory in 1865, there were an estimated 100 camels living on the ranch and roaming the wilderness. With the death of the main camel driver and no knowledge of how to care for and use camel to the best of their ability, the days of the camel were over. 

And today is the birthday of Winifred Emma May, also known by her pen name Patience Strong. May was a lyricist, poet, and writer. Her poetry appeared in The Daily Mirror, Women’s Own, and Good Housekeeping. She penned over 100 songs during her career and over 10 collections of poetry. Her most notable lyrics are for the song “Jealousy” which was performed beautifully by Kathryn Grayson in the 1945 musical film Anchors Away.

Winifred Emma May (Patience Strong)

 

Go into the woodland

if you seek peace of mind- 

As this time when Nature's mood

is gentle, quiet and kind,

When soft winds fan the trembling leaves

about the cloistered glade- 

And paths go winding deep into the green

and breathless shade.

 

Where nothing breaks the silence

of the warm and fragrant air- 

But snatches of sweet melody . . .

and wings that rend and tear- 

The stillness of the windless dells

where shallow brooklets flow- 

And shadows fleck the water

as the sunbeams come and go.

 

An unseen Presence walks the woods,

a sense of holy things- 

Haunts the dim Cathedral aisles;

and every bird that sings- 

Is like some morning chorister,

and every breath of air- 

Seems to bring the secret murmur

of a whispered prayer.