description: Great Texas Books offers low-cost downloads of Texas histories, memoirs, biographies, journals, and reports in e-book formats. Our editions are superior to similar texts available elsewhere because we meticulously convert, proof, edit, and design each book. Our books are not mere facsimiles of the original text; they are entirely new editions designed for the 21st century reader of e-books.From 1855 through 1860, the U. S. army actively experimented with camels as a mode of military transportation in the American West. The experiments were interrupted by the Civil War and never regained their footing; the army disposed of the last of its camels in 1866. Texas was the center of the experiments; the principal base for the camel corps was at Camp Verde, in the Texas Hill Country. Though the experiments have been the subject of several books and numerous articles, it is not a topic that is widely known; people are still surprised when conversation turns to camels in such unlikely places as Brackettville and Presidio. This book, Texas Camel Tales, is a classic exploration of the topic, first published in 1933. If you like your prose tight and to the point, Chris Emmett’s style may not suit you. But if you enjoy settling in and letting the story-teller tell his tale, Texas Camel Tales is a great read. Emmett treats the subject as an opportunity to explore regional history. Not content merely to tell you that the camels were stationed at Camp Verde, near Bandera Pass, he spends a chapter telling you of the early history of the pass and its importance in frontier defense. As the camels pass through Linnville and Victoria in 1856, Emmett is not satisfied with only a mention; he is compelled to explore the 1840 Linnville Raid, the 1845 arrival of German immigrants under the auspices of the Adelsverein, and the backgrounds of those who saw the camels arrive. Texas Camel Tales is notable for its inclusion of first-person accounts. Emmett went out of his way to dig up people who witnessed the camel experiment and other historical events. These tidbits of personal experience bring authenticity and human interest to the topic. The reader is well-advised to relax and enjoy the detours; Emmett always returns to his subject, and he pulls his tale together in the end. The story of the camels becomes a thread that joins a larger tapestry of Texas history.
language: English
title: Texas Camel Tales
titlecomplete: Texas Camel Tales
ratings_count: 4