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Inspiration ⁄ Category: scrapbooking

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Nvmagpie
August 18, 2016

Old Douglas

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This is a story about "Old Douglas" - a camel in the Confederate Army. I was aware of camels being used by the army out in Northern Nevada - after all Virginia City has the camel races in September - but I had never heard of them being used back East. The old photo and the grave stone photos from the Internet.
Journaling: "Douglas the Camel, or “Old Douglas,” was a domesticated camel used by Company A of the Forty-third Mississippi Infantry, part of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Because of Old Douglas, the 43rd Mississippi Infantry came to be known as the Camel Regiment. Douglas was originally part of a U.S. War Department program called the Texas Camel Experiment, which aimed to experiment with camels as a possible alternative to horses and mules, which were dying of dehydration in vast numbers. Besides being a mascot, Moore assigned Douglas to the regimental band, carrying instruments and knapsacks.
Though the men tried to treat Old Douglas like a horse, the camel was known to break free of any tether, and was eventually allowed to graze freely. Despite not being tied up, he never wandered far from the men. The Infantry’s horses feared Old Douglas, and he is recorded to have spooked one horse into starting a stampede, which reportedly injured many, and possibly killed one or two horses.
Old Douglas’s first active service was with Gen. Price in the Iuka campaign. He also participated in the 1862 Battle of Corinth. He remained with the regiment until the Siege of Vicksburg, where he was killed by Union sharpshooters. Enraged at his murder, the men swore to avenge him. Col. Bevier enlisted six of his best snipers, and successfully shot the culprit. Of Douglas’s murderer, Bevier reportedly said, “I refused to hear his name, and was rejoiced to learn that he had been severely wounded. According to legend, after Douglas was shot, his remains were carved up and eaten, with some of his bones made into souvenirs by Federal soldiers.
Douglas is currently honored with his own grave marker in Vicksburg's Cedar Hill Cemetery, in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He, along with other camels used during the war, is not overlooked by historians, nor by Civil War Reenactors. There is currently a group called the Texas Camel Corps, whose mission is to promote the stories of camels, like Old Douglas, used during the Civil War."

I wanted to keep the focus on the story and pictures so only used some wood embellies and some stamping (wine cork and Stampendous texture stamp) on bg paper. ClipArt camel, Versafine & Prima inks.
Use Your stamps challenge


layouts scrapbooking camel Vicksburg Brown Black & White Color 12 x 12 Borders Embellishments Inking Journaling Paper Layering Stamping Animals Military Travel & Vacation
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