The Camel Regiment: A History of the Bloody 43rd Mississippi Volunteer Infantry, 1862-65

by W. Scott Bell

Overview

A tale of a desert dweller on the battlefields of the South!

The 43rd Mississippi Infantry of the Confederate States of America is the only regiment to have used a camel militarily east of the Mississippi. Referred to as the Camel Regiment, it was organized in 1862 and surrendered in 1865. Using a variety of resources, the author provides a roster of the regiment along with detailed information on the formation, battles, and controversies surrounding the men. From the acquisition of the African dromedary Old Douglas to carry baggage and musical instruments through his death at Vicksburg and the fate of his fellow soldiers, Bell provides an entertaining historical narrative of this little-known chapter in American history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781455623075
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	05/26/2017
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	1,162,611
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

W. Scott Bell retired from the US Postal Service and has spent decades researching the history of the War Between the States. He is a life member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) and the Blue Bonnet Society of the SCV. The United Daughters of the Confederacy awarded him the Jefferson Davis Medal for his work presenting history in the classroom and his efforts to preserve Confederate monuments. His great-great-grandfather, Cpl. John K. Bell, was a member of the 43rd Mississippi Infantry.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 9

Introduction 11

Chapter 1 Old Douglas, the Confederate Camel 15

Chapter 2 Aberdeen: Formation of the Regiment, May 15, 1862 21

Chapter 3 Post Duty: Okolona and Gainesville 29

Chapter 4 Iuka 37

Chapter 5 Corinth 45

Chapter 6 Operations on the Mississippi Central Railroad 55

Chapter 7 Snyder's Bluff 71

Chapter 8 Vicksburg 85

Chapter 9 Parole 107

Chapter 10 Pound's Battalion Mississippi Sharpshooters 111

Chapter 11 The Scott Thompson Letter 125

Chapter 12 Columbus 133

Chapter 13 Montevallo, Alabama 145

Chapter 14 The Atlanta Campaign 151

Chapter 15 Operations in Northern Georgia and Northern Alabama 175

Chapter 16 Hood's Tennessee Campaign 191

Chapter 17 Mississippi Interlude 215

Chapter 18 Prisoners of War 219

Chapter 19 Carolinas Campaign 227

Epilogue 237

Appendix: 43rd Regiment Mississippi Volunteers Infantry Roster 247

Abbreviations 266

Notes 267

Bibliography 279

Index 283