The Saber and Scroll Journal Volume 5, Issue 4, Fall 2016 | Page 29

Figure 1. Horses Quenching Their Thirst, Camels Disdaining, by Ernest Etienne de Franchville Narjot,
c. 1856. The Stephen Decatur House Museum, Department of the Navy, Naval Historical Center.
living things learn to do,” historian Guinn wrote. 18 Regardless, Beale advised
Congress to sanction the acquisition of one thousand more camels. 19
The program grew. On Davis’s instructions, Porter sailed again for Egypt
to obtain more camels. In late January 1859, USS Supply returned with a herd of
forty-one animals. 20 While Porter was on his second undertaking, five camels from
the first herd perished, leaving the Army with seventy. 21 These animals were going
to see much of the American landscape. Through an 1859 survey of the Trans-
Pecos area to find a speedier path to Fort Davis, the Army used the camels yet
again. Under the expertise of Lieutenant Edward Hartz and Lieutenant William
Echols, the team plotted much of the Big Bend expanse. In 1860, Echols led an
additional survey squad through the Trans-Pecos utilizing the Camel Corps. 22
It was about this time that interest in using the camel program began to
wane. There were numerous explanations for the eventual failure of the test, which
was so effective in its actions. There was a loss of interest in the venture when
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