New Article: The United States Government Experimented With Camels In The 19th Century

(Army Camel Corp training at Menangle Park, c. 1916, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons). It's an Australian photo, but unfortunately, no decent pictures of the American Camel Corps could be found.

George H. Crosman is credited as the first man to suggest that camels could be a valuable asset if utilized by the U. S. military in dry, desert regions of the United States. He first brought up this point in 1836, when he was a lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He claimed that camels would be unaffected by America’s most arid climates, and would also require less feed or water than the horses and mules already used by the government. Despite these fair points, Lt. Crosman’s ideas were rejected and shelved by the United States for more than a decade.

Continue reading about the United States procurement and experimentation with camels in the 19th century, HERE.

New Article: U. S. General William T. Sherman Was Shipwrecked Twice In One Day During One Odd And Unbelievable Adventure

(General William Tecumseh Sherman from 1865 in front of a sinking ship painted by painting by Willy Stöwer (* 1864; † 1931), [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

In early 1853, William Tecumseh Sherman was a captain of the United States Commissary Department, but he was looking for a change in profession. Around this time, some buddies sent Sherman an invitation to join a banking venture named Lucas, Turner & Co. Sherman enjoyed, and was comfortable in, his military life, but admitted that he would not mind a higher wage. Therefore, he petitioned his superiors for leave to journey to California to meet with his potential business partners and assess their banking operation.

From his location in New Orleans, Sherman boarded a steamship heading toward Nicaragua. Once he had arrived there, the passengers took smaller boats across the Nicaragua River and Lake, and made the rest of the voyage to San Juan del Sur by mule.

Now the passengers were ready to depart Nicaragua for California. Sherman boarded the propeller ship, S. S. Lewis, which Sherman later remembered was commanded by Captain Partridge. For the voyage, Sherman was given his own stateroom with three berths located on the deck of the ship. Little did Sherman know, however, just how dramatic his sea voyage upon the S. S. Lewis would turn out to be.

Continue reading about General Sherman's unbelievable journey, HERE.

General Sherman in South Carolina during the U.S. Civil War

General Sherman was one of the most destructive generals of the United States Civil War. Many see his military career as an inspiration, as he used his forces to target and cripple his enemy's resources before that became a prominent tactic of total war. Others see Sherman as a leader who condoned excessive devastation and destruction. Among the cities ravaged by Sherman's forces were Atlanta, Georgia and Columbia, South Carolina. This article focuses on Sherman's actions in the latter of the two. Was his style of warfare something to criticize or something to commend?

Read the historybuff.com article here for more information.