“The camel experiment upon the plains is pronounced successful.”
Until it wasn’t.
Scarcely a year had passed since their first arrival, hardly enough time to judge.
Upon becoming secretary of war, he obtained congressional authorization to purchase and employ camels, and in 1855 sent an expedition to the Middle East to buy and bring back the beasts. . . . Davis had two goals for his camel force: basic transportation and direct military involvement against Indians, when camels could carry light cannon and infantry, as well as substitute for cavalry horses. . . . Although the camel corps never became as important as Davis envisioned and railroads would soon make the concept obsolete, this short-lived affair underscored his willingness to innovate.