Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Mississippi Vicksburg Grave of Douglas the Confederate Camel

Grave of Douglas the Confederate Camel

The final resting place of the camel who served with the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

Vicksburg, Mississippi

Added By
Aaron Netsky
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Douglas’s marker in Cedar Hill Cemetery   NatalieMaynor/CC BY 2.0
Douglas with some members of his unit sometime before June 1863   A Confederate photographer, from the collection of Doug Baum
This mural, by Patrick Westphal, depicts the arrival of the Camel Corps in Cape Verde, Texas.   LC-DIG-highsm-29583
A Camel Corps veteran hangs out near a California barracks in 1863.   Rudolph D'Heureuse/Public Domain
Back of the memorial stone   SharonClaudette / Atlas Obscura User
  SemiruralYeti / Atlas Obscura User
  SharonClaudette / Atlas Obscura User
Old Douglas grave   IronQueen / Atlas Obscura User
Old Douglas grave   IronQueen / Atlas Obscura User
  Mikey Burnett / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Among the 5,000 grave markers for Confederate soldiers in the Soldier’s Rest section of Cedar Hill Cemetery in Vicksburg, Mississippi, one pays tribute to Old Douglas, the camel of the 43rd Mississippi Infantry, Company A, nicknamed “The Camel Regiment.”

The Confederate States of America was established in February 1861 (but never recognized by any other government or nation). Its constitution legalized and protected slavery. It is not known how Douglas, a dromedary (one hump) camel, came to serve with the 43rd Mississippi infantry during the Civil War. He was a gift to Colonel W. H. Moore, who assigned him to carry the instruments and knapsacks for the regimental band. Douglas participated in the Battles of Iuka and Corinth under Major Generals Sterling Price and Earl Van Dorn, respectively, before being shot by a Union sharpshooter on June 27th, 1863, during the siege of Vicksburg.

Douglas was well loved by the humans of his regiment, less so by the horses. On one occasion, Douglas is said to have spooked at least one of the horses into stampeding through a camp near Iuka, injuring horses and soldiers, possibly killing some of the former. Soldiers climbed trees to get out of the path of destruction. 

Douglas routinely broke free of his tether, but usually used his freedom to graze, never wandering too far from the regiment. On that fateful day in 1863, though, he wandered into no man’s land between the Union and Confederate armies, and paid the ultimate price.

The Union army responded to the camel’s death, according to legend, by eating him, since food was scarce, and making war souvenirs out of his bones. The Confederates responded by making a point of severely wounding the sharpshooter who had killed their beloved camel. His gravestone, however, states that he was eaten by his own Confederate regiment who were suffering under the Siege of Vicksburg.

Douglas was not the only camel in the United States during the Civil War. Before he became president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis was the U.S. Secretary of War. In the 1850s, he implemented the Texas Camel Experiment in the 1850s to see how useful camels would be in the American Southwest where horses were beginning to have trouble on long trips. Camels can carry immensely heavy loads for long distances with little water. They are also not nearly as tamable as horses, though Douglas was called “faithful” and “patient” by those who knew him best.

Camels were brought over from the Mediterranean and North Africa, and used for exploring the Southwest. The Civil War took the steam out of the experiment, and the camels eventually dispensed. Many were sold at auctions in 1864 and 1866 to work in circuses and mines, as postal carriers and pack animals and racing camels. Some even escaped or were set free, and feral camels were occasionally spotted roaming the American Southwest for years after.

Lest the contributions of camels in the Civil War be forgotten, the Texas Camel Corps promotes their stories with reenactments and hosts camel rides. Two of the camels are descendants of Old Douglas.

Related Tags

Gravestones Memorials Animals Civil War Graveyards Cemeteries War History Graves Military

Know Before You Go

To find Douglas turn into the cemetery @ Lindsey St from Sky Farm Ave. A bit after the first cross street you will see a group of graves with Confederate flags on the left. Douglas' marker (the one with the camel on it) is on the right side of the group, second row in.

Community Contributors

Added By

AaronNetsky

Edited By

Juneappal, MagnumPI, SharonClaudette, Bart Bernhardt...

  • Juneappal
  • MagnumPI
  • SharonClaudette
  • Bart Bernhardt
  • SemiruralYeti
  • Mikey Burnett
  • IronQueen

Published

April 7, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-united-states-army-used-camels-until-after-the-civil-war-180948201/
  • https://www.nps.gov/vick/learn/news/the-us-camel-corps-visits-vicksburg-national-military-park.htm
  • https://salient-points.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-ghosts-of-douglas-camel.html
  • https://roadtrippers.com/us/vicksburg-ms/points-of-interest/grave-of-douglas-the-camel
  • http://www.vagazette.com/entertainment/va-vg-ruegsegger-0717-douglas-20130717-story.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_the_camel
  • https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13890400
  • http://beniciahistoricalmuseum.org/commander-mcallister/
  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/41405
Grave of Douglas the Confederate Camel
Lindsey St
Vicksburg, Mississippi, 39183
United States
32.363695, -90.860002
Get Directions

Nearby Places

U.S.S. Cairo

Vicksburg, Mississippi

miles away

Lower Mississippi River Museum

Vicksburg, Mississippi

miles away

Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum

Vicksburg, Mississippi

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vicksburg

Vicksburg

Mississippi

Places 4

Nearby Places

U.S.S. Cairo

Vicksburg, Mississippi

miles away

Lower Mississippi River Museum

Vicksburg, Mississippi

miles away

Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum

Vicksburg, Mississippi

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vicksburg

Vicksburg

Mississippi

Places 4

Related Places

  • Confederate Mound.

    Chicago, Illinois

    Confederate Mound

    The final resting place of up to 6,000 Confederate soldiers, the largest mass grave in the Western Hemisphere.

  • The Polish graves.

    Mbala, Zambia

    Mbala Pioneer Cemetery

    A small cemetery on a hill overlooking Mbala contains the history of the town's colonial past.

  • The grave of James Parks.

    Arlington, Virginia

    James Parks Grave

    Born a slave on the Arlington estate, Parks dug the first graves at Arlington National Cemetery, and was buried there, too.

  • Grave of Andreas von Zirngibl.

    Chicago, Illinois

    Grave of Andreas von Zirngibl

    A one-armed veteran of the Battle of Waterloo lies in a cemetery for one in the middle of a Chicago scrapyard.

  • Corporal Chas Ippel on the right, died on July 26, 1863.

    Arlington, Virginia

    Headstone-Eating Trees

    The rogue roots are gradually consuming some of the historic marble grave markers.

  • Hi Jolly Monument

    Quartzsite, Arizona

    Hi Jolly Monument

    This memorial pyramid marker honors one of the United States Government's first official camel riders.

  • Westminster, Vermont

    Grave of William French

    This man's death led (indirectly) to Vermont's independence in 1777.

  • Nashville, Tennessee

    Captain William Driver Grave

    The grave of the 19th-century sea captain who coined the phrase "Old Glory" can be found in this quiet cemetery.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.