Here comes the...Camels?...Where is the Calvary?

On July 8th, 1856, an experiment was conducted in conjunction with "taming" the frontier, which in this case was: West Texas.
 West Texas has been an arid climate, and during the mid 1800's, it was a land of both exploration and a place where you would have to pass through to arrive out west. West Texas, generally from San Antonio to El Paso, was a home to numerous potential hardships including Mexican outlaws, hostile Indians, and gold rushers trying hastily to pass through. This land required the services of the Pony Express, stagecoaches, and U.S. army military movements. It was a violent region, home to the Apache, Comanches, and the Kiowa until after the Civil War. And of course, a major issue to the general region was...the lack of water.

The U.S. Secretary of War at the time was...Jefferson Davis (soon to be President of the Confederacy), and he suggested a bill which passed the votes of Congress named the:"Camel Appropriation Bill", and this particular project became a reality.
 In Kerr County Texas, a Camp Verde was established and on July 8th, 1856,  there was a total of 66 camels imported from the Middle East, a single humped camel known as the feral camel, to help explore, carry supplies, and travel in general through the arid region.
 This particular experiment was under the leadership of a man who was dispatched to Camp Verde: a decorated military officer named Edward Beale. A Lt. Robert E. Lee was also of said to be involved with the project.
 The idea of a feral camel used to explore dry regions had already gotten started in Australia...in the arid Outback. Upon the arrival of the camels, the horse soldiers soon learned feral camels were not the most obedient animals to work with. They had the capability to spit, regurgitate, and generally disregard commands. Feral camels did not get along well with horses, and the soldiers detested the smell of these desert travelling animals.

 Feral camels had certain characteristics that helped them in adapting to the arid climate. When foliage was green, the feral camel could gain all the water they needed through plant life and did not require any water to drink. On the other hand, when a feral camel was thirsty, and came upon a watering hole, a feral camel was capable of drinking over 200 liters of water...in less than 3 minutes! And no, water was not stored in the "hump". The hump was pretty much "fat" and used as a source of energy.
 The experiment conducted at Camp Verde was deemed a success. It was found a feral camel could travel long distances faster than a horse (up to 1/3 less time), and 6 camels could carry the weight of 2 mule wagons drawn by 6 mules per wagon, and cover a distance designated in about 1/3 less time.

 In1861, Camp Verde was captured by the Confederate Army, and after the War, the U.S. military found approximately 10 camels at the Camp still alive. Camp Verde was disbanded in 1869, and the feral camels were sold, stolen, and even a few got away.
 In 1941, a man was doing some local research for an area in West Texas, when he looked up...and there he stood...a feral camel!