Gold Fever
Now jobless and homeless, Greek George moved to the gold fields in the San Bernardino Mountains. He did not strike gold. Instead, he spent his time in saloons, and accounts of his exploits there sound like tall tales told after too many drinks. One story claimed he shot a bystander who cheered for a winning horse after George’s bet had come in second. He allegedly shot another man who had filed off the horn tips of a bull about to fight a grizzly bear. He also reportedly shot a cook because he didn’t like his meal. None of this can be verified.
One legend that has proved to be false is the story that he shot and killed Alfred C. Bent, the son of New Mexico’s first governor. The shooter in that case was another man named Greek George.
War in West
Any plans the government may have had to acquire 1,000 additional camels were forgotten when the Civil War began on April 12, 1861. The repercussions of the war in the East soon impacted the West and the camel experiment. Politically, California mirrored the North-South divide of the eastern states. Northern Californians largely supported the Union, and this support was crucial because it was the source of the Union’s gold.
A majority of the state’s Secessionist Party members — 22,000 men — lived in Southern California, and Los Angeles was a hotbed of secessionist activity. To maintain order, the Army closed Fort Tejon and transferred its personnel and assets to Camp Latham, a tent encampment on Ballona Creek in present-day Culver City.
The Army camels were transferred from Fort Tejon to Camp Latham in early December 1861. When the soldiers who had been their caretakers were reassigned to war duty, Hi Jolly and Greek George were rehired to tend to the camels. Soon after their return, the Los Angeles Quartermaster unit was also transferred east, leaving Hi Jolly and Greek George on their own. Meanwhile, the military’s interest in establishing a camel corps evaporated, perhaps partly because it had been championed by the Union’s enemy, Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The camels remained at Camp Latham until 1863 when, due to the demands of war, they became an unnecessary expense — especially with the ongoing addition of healthy new calves.
As death and destruction engulfed the East, recruitment surged in California. Ultimately, 15,725 Union soldiers were recruited in a state with a population of 380,000. Camp Latham, which had always been a temporary housing and administrative center, quickly became inadequate to handle the influx of enlistees. Additionally, it was nearly 20 miles inland from the port at Wilmington. In the winter of 1861-62, a new Army base was built to consolidate operations in the region. Located a mile north of the port at Wilmington — and 20 miles south of Los Angeles — it was originally called Camp San Pedro and later renamed Camp Drum. The most remarkable thing about the facility was that the Army built it from a kit transported by ship around Cape Horn, including all the lumber, plumbing, windows, doors, and finishes, at an estimated cost of $1 million (about $25 million today).
In February, the camels were moved to Camp Drum and kept in a corral there alongside the Army’s mules. The camp’s officers sought ways to put the camels to use. They tried using them to carry mail to nearby San Pedro, but after a few deliveries, the deal fell apart. Another attempt was made to set up an express service to Fort Mojave in Arizona, but once again, Hi Jolly drove the camel until it died from exhaustion, and he had to carry the mail through the desert on his back.
Major Hancock at Camp Drum
In March 1863, Los Angeles attorney and landowner Major Henry Hancock (no relation to General Winfield Scott Hancock) was assigned as commandant at Camp Drum. He had served in the Quartermaster Corps during the Mexican War and, after relocating to Los Angeles, in the California militia. At Camp Drum, he met Greek George, the future first resident of the corner of Hancock’s ranch that would later become West Hollywood.
In October 1863, Major Hancock received orders to send the camels north to Benicia, the former state capital in the Bay Area. In late December, he dispatched Greek George and Hi Jolly to drive the herd of more than 30 camels 400 miles north to the auction site.
They arrived in Santa Barbara on December 30, 1863, and paused there to celebrate the New Year. In early January, they continued northward, reaching the south end of San Francisco Bay and arriving at the ferry to Benicia on January 17, 1864. They reported to the Benicia Arsenal the next day. The camels were kept in corrals at the Benicia Quartermaster Depot until they were auctioned off one by one on February 26. The camel experiment in California was over.
Major Henry Hancock had taken an interest in the camels at Camp Drum, and when the Army put the herd up for sale, he bought about half a dozen dromedaries to use in a delivery service between Los Angeles and St. Louis. He also set up a spot for them by a stream and stand of willows in the northwest corner of Rancho La Brea, and he hired Greek George to live there and tend to them.
In August 1864, Hancock led a company of troops from Camp Drum to El Monte, where they suppressed an uprising by the outlaw secessionist group known as the Knights of the Golden Circle. It was one of the few military actions in the West during the Civil War. Two months later, on October 1, Major Henry Hancock completed his rotation at Camp Drum and returned home to Rancho La Brea.