There are great examples in our nation’s history of failure when we seemed to have followed the lead from other countries. Airships for war and for travel initially come to mind. They were often not airworthy, and were ridiculously cumbersome and expensive to build. The aviation industry, thankfully, used their research and development energy for airplanes and helicopters. Another dismal example is the introduction of the silk industry via worms that resulted in two centuries of destructive moths.
Appropriations and Earmarks Early on in U.S. History
However, one idea that was centuries old that was tested and successful was the use of camels in the American southwest by the United States Army during the 1850s. Congress appropriated $30,000 in 1855 at the behest of then Secretary of War Jefferson Davis. The irony is the idea appears to have been introduced to the House of Representatives by Congressman William Henry Bissell from Illinois in 1852. This was two years after Davis had challenged him to a duel when he took offense to comments Bissell made about a battle in the Mexican-American War, specifically the Union soldiers superiority in battle over those from Mississippi – Davis’s home state! The idea was not only bipartisan, but it also seemed to have mutual support from northern and southern states alike.
Starting in 1855, over seventy camels were imported from the Middle East for transport of supplies and personnel, as well as exploration of the southwest. The Americans handling them had little experience, nor did the camels seem to understand the English language. So handlers were brought from overseas to both work with the camels and train the soldiers. The advantages of a camel in the arid west over a donkey or mule were striking. They could carry three times the cargo and even more importantly, could go much longer without water and were not picky eaters in the desert. They also seemed to navigate streams well on the rare occasions they encountered them. The most noteworthy use of the camels came in 1857 when a potential southern route for the Transcontinental Railroad was explored. Cries from government supporters of the camel asked for many more to be sent here for expanded roles such as mail delivery. Unfortunately, this is where the story hits a dead end. The Civil War was beginning to take shape and the success of the camel was abruptly ignored. Sadly, most of the camels were turned loose and were allowed to roam the desolate landscape of places like Texas and the western territories, until they were mostly eliminated by settlers and Native Americans.
Understanding the Why Behind Failed Ideas
Why did the United States government and private groups in large-scale operations never bring the camel into use after the Civil War? The rise in railroads grew, eliminating some of the potential uses for them; however, mules were still common for many tasks. Some of the reason could lie in the fact that this notion had the earmarks of Jefferson Davis all over it, and the end of the war brought bitterness and stigma to those government officials who sided with the Confederacy. Finally, it was not cheap to bring the animals over and reconstruction was eating up much of the budget.
Sometimes great ideas that blossom into success stories never get the run they deserve because they are overcome by events or a newer innovation. Leaders should research and seek out these hidden gems as examples of creativeness, teamwork, and learning from others. Just because the evolution of an idea never took off, it does not necessarily mean it failed.
