THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
167 
Sir Charles Napier, in the year 1842-3, mounted a company of the 
13th Light Infantry on camels, each soldier being seated behind a 
native camel driver. The infantry, man was armed with his musket, and 
was provided with 60 rounds of ball-cartridge. Sir Charles* object was 
to give this company a highly increased power of locomotion. The 
troops under his command were few, as compared with the area of the 
ground he had conquered and had to hold. By this means, he greatly 
increased the value of a small portion of them. This idea was doubt¬ 
less borrowed from the camel-gun corps of native states, and from the 
usual method of fighting of the Beloutchees. 
At Sobraon, many of these camel guns were captured in the Sikh 
entrenchment, after having been vigorously used against us. 
In the mutiny of 1857, in India, and for some time subsequently, 
two camel corps, on Sir Charles Napier's model, were organised—one 
company being taken from the Rifle Brigade and another from the 
92nd Foot, 
Could such corps, in addition to their power of locomotion, be 
endowed with increased power of musketry fire, their value, from a 
strategical and tactical point of view, would be vastly increased. Com¬ 
bined with cavalry, they would be more especially suitable to such 
operations as reconnaissances, as they would provide the reconnoitring 
force with precisely the element in which reconnoitring parties are 
usually deficient—viz., missile power and capacity of resistance in case 
of surprise; further, for suddenly seizing important strategic points, 
such as the junction of a number of ordinary roads or railroads, fords, 
bridges; or for making requisitions, covering forage parties, seizing 
boats in a river, escorting convoys, and the like. 
As we have, in the north-west of India, a splendid breed of camels, 
it seems desirable to adapt their locomotive and carrying power to 
military purposes, in combination with the latest invention in firearms. 
The Catling gun having met with the approval of a mixed committee 
of officers at Shoeburyness, it may be worthy of consideration whether 
a light gun on this system could not be made of a weight suitable for a 
camel gun. 
The data may be taken from the figures above quoted. From these 
we may gather that a Persian camel can carry, in the form of gun 
and ammunition, about 180 lbs., leaving a margin of 20 lbs. for saddle 
bags, &Ci One hundred rounds of Martini-Henry ammunition weighs 
10J lbs. But the load of the ordinary stamp of Indian camel is known 
to be 5 maunds, or about 400 lbs.—that is, 85 lbs. less than the Persian 
gun-camel. With picked camels the weight might be such as to admit 
of carrying 152 lbs. of gun and ammunition. This would give a gun of 
112 lbs. and some 400 rounds of ammunition. A spare camel would 
carry some 1500 rounds more. 
With a gun of 112 lbs. weight on his back, the camel would not feel 
the discharge. Being on the ground with his legs tucked under him, 
and the upper arm lashed to his shank, he forms a steady platform for 
firing. 
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