Posted by Jim Huffman, Sons of Confederate Veterans on August 03, 2000 at 00:11:04:
In Reply to: Re: 43rd Mississippi Infantry, CSA posted by David Upton on August 02, 2000 at 19:00:36:
David:
Two different accounts of the 43rd’s camel, “Douglas,” have come to light. The first was
printed in 1892 in the first volume of Confederate Veterans magazine by an unknown
author who obviously served in the 43rd MS Infantry. The second, by Joseph W. Cook of
the 43rd, was printed in 1903 in the same magazine.
Douglas original owner was 1st Lieutenant (later Captain) William H. Hargrove, who was
never absent from his command without permission. Hargrove was captured at the Siege
of Vicksburg, MS, in 1863. He was present at last official regimental muster on August
30, 1864. His further service is unclear, but most official records of the 43rd after August
30, 1864, have been lost.
Cook, in the second article, mentions that “his [Douglas’] gallant owner had fallen in the
second day’s fight at Corinth [MS, October 3-5, 1862].” Lt. Hargrove, presumably the
owner referenced, did not actually die at Corinth, nor is there any official record of his
having been wounded. However, Hargrove may have suffered some sort of slight wound
or seemed to have been captured, which Cook later recalled. We have to remember that
Cook was recalling events that had occurred some forty-nine years before he wrote his
sketch! Also, Cook may have been referencing a subsequent “owner” (such as a member
of the regimental band charged with Douglas’ care) who fell at Corinth and not Hargrove.
You are at the Fort and intimate with the Camel Corps. Do you perhaps have access to
the personnel who comprised the Camel Corps? If so, could you please look for William
H. Hargrove (or any other Mississippi Hargroves) for me among those personnel? Even
the names of any easily-identifiable Mississippians among the Camel Corps soldiery would
be of great help, as I could do some cross-checking to see if they lived near Lt. Hargrove!
Some folks (particularly National Parks Service folks, none of whom I’ll mention by
name!) are skeptical about Douglas’ actual existence, stating that many regiments falsely
claiimed that they had camels, but I am a believer in Joseph Cook, because everything else
he wrote to the Confederate Veteran magazine has been on-target and verified by a second
source. (Cook wrote some six pieces on the 43rd for the magazine.) Verifying William
Hargrove or any other Hargrove (or any other Mississippians from Hargrove’s locale) as a
member of the Camel Corps would put all the critics to bed. Thanks for any help you can
give me here!
Please note in anything that you post that Scott Bell and I have been researching the 43rd for over fifteen years combined research time, with an eye toward an eventual, non-profit regimental history. We are extremely anxious to hear from anyone with manuscript, letter, diary, photographic, or newspaper information about the "Bloody 43rd." Please give out my email (huffman@ametro.net) and the address of our website (www.43rdmississippi.homestead.com/index.html) if you post or distrubute this info in any manner (which I hope you'll do!), as we need all the contacts we can get, having exhausted all published sources for the regiment!
Thanks for your interest in these glorious Southern Patriots, their Heritage of Honor, and, of course, their beloved dromedary, "Old Douglas."
Please accept warmest, best wishes to you and yours from me and mine! -- Jim Huffman
PS: Hey! Send me something on the Fort and your re-enactment group if you can! I'm at 1230 Stemwood Drive, Picayune, MS 39466.
*************************************************
FIRST REFERENCE, FROM CONFEDERATE VETERAN MAGAZINE, VOL. 1, P.
267:
“Company B, of the Forty-third Mississippi Infantry, had a veritable camel, belonging to
Lieut. W. H. H------ [Lt. William H. Hargrove], and the use he was put to was to carry the
baggage of the officers' mess. The horses of the command were afraid of the camel, and
the driver was instructed to stop just outside the camp when it halted. But in a forced
march toward Iuka, Miss., the command had halted just after dark, and the camel and
driver got in the line of march before he knew it. The result was that a horse made a break
with a fence rail attached to his halter, and running through the camp, he stampeded men
and animals in every direction. Many men took [to] trees or any other protection, and the
panic spread through much of the brigade, and many men and animals were badly hurt,
and one or two horses, I think, were killed. The camel was in the siege of Vicksburg, and
was killed there by a minie-ball from the enemy. But none of the Forty-third have
forgotten the stampede near Iuka, Miss., just before the Battle of Corinth.”
*******************************************************
SECOND REFERENCE, FROM CONFEDERATE VETERAN MAGAZINE, VOL. 11,
NO. 11:
“’OLD DOUGLAS’ --TItE CAMEL BURDEN BEARER.
J. W. Cook, of Helena, Ark., who belonged to Company A, Forty-Third Mississippi
Regiment, writes of an interesting attache of the regiment who could not speak for himself
even had he survived the carnage of war:
‘Old Douglas’ was an African camel and belonged to the Forty-Third Mississippi
Regiment. He was given to Col. William M. [actually ‘H.,’ for Hudson] Moore, of the
regiment, by Lieut. [William H.] Hargrove. of Company B. Col. Moore assigned Douglas
to the regimental band, for whom he carried instruments and knapsacks. The camel's first
active service was with Gen. Price in the Iuka campaign. He was sent to the wagon train,
and stampeded all the teams. There was only one horse in Little's Division which would
face Douglas at first, and that was Pompey, the little bay stallion belonging to Col. Moore,
but it was not long till he was on intimate terms with all. His keeper would chain him to
keep him from wandering off, but Douglas would sit back and snap any kind of chain, then
proceed to graze at leisure, though never leaving the regiment or interfering with anything
that did not interrupt him. When the regiment was ready to start, Douglas would be led up
to the pile of things he was to carry, and his leader would say, 'Pushay, Douglas,' and he
would gracefully drop to his knees and haunches and remain so till his load was adjusted
and he was told to get up. His long, swinging gait was soon familiar with the entire
command, and ours was called the 'Camel Regiment.' Douglas was in the engagements of
[Gen. Sterling] Price and [Gen. Earl] Van Dorn in Mississippi, and went with us to [Gen.
John C.] Pemberton at Vicksburg, where he was killed by a skirmisher during the siege.
His gallant owner had fallen in the second day's fight at Corinth. Douglas was a faithful,
patient animal, and his service merits record in the Veteran."
END
: I am a Civil War reenactor in California with the Fort Tejon Historical Association. Fort Tejon is known as the home of the 1st U. S. Dragoons and the famed "Camel Corps" of the 1850s. I am very interested in the history of the 43rd Mississippi related to it's moniker "The Camel Regiment". I would gladly post this history for all to see here at the fort.
: Thank You
: David Upton
: Rosamond, CA