This Xerox copy of a "Camp article" was shared by an unknown person to my
Aunt during the time she was researching our family(1950/1960). Sadly there
is no date when this article appeared or name of newspaper. If anyone has
any ideas of this line of Camp I would love to hear it - Dot
Also - please feel free to include this on the Camp web site if you like. -
Dot
"Pioneers
and
Veterans
Saw Stirring Events in Days of Maximilian
To The Semi-Weekly Farm News,
I first saw the light of day near Gladewater, Texas, in 1854. My
father's parents were natives of Georgia while my mother's people came from
Alabama. They came to Texas in 1830 and bought land. My grandfather, L.B.
Camp, built the first ferry boats across the Sabine River near Gladewater
that was known long afterwards as Camp's Ferry. The Camp lineage were
originally from France. My grandfather told me there were six brothers who
crossed the ocean and took part with General Lafayett's army in the War of
Independence, and after peace was established they remained in this country,
thus the Camp name became generally known.
In 1859 my father Dr. W.W. Camp, moved to southern Texas, landing in San
Antonio in the fall of the year. The plaza was filled with Mexican carts,
with a few American wagons, all drawn by oxen. At the beginning of the Civil
War, Dr. F. Kalteyer, a druggist; Dr. Herf and my father were the only
physicians in San Antonio. As the war began raging in full blast my espoused
the cause of the Confederacy and was stationed at Laredo as army surgeon in
the war. One General Benavides organized a company of Confederates who
patrolled the border from Laredo to Brownsville, and it has been stated that
the fought the last battle with General Bee when he was driven back at the
latter place.
Peace having been declared, my father thought it best to move to Mexico.
In the fall of 1865 we began our journey, and by buggy and carriage we
traveled the entire route from Laredo to Paris, Mexico. On reaching the
interior and at Saltillo we began noticing French soldiers and were the first
informed of Maximilian's invasion of the Republic. Very soon after our
arrival at Paris there came in quite a contingent of the French army, led by
the chieftain, Maximillian, in person, accompanied by his guard, and as they
drove through the streets, perched on one of those ancient carriages, he and
his wife were the cynosure of all eyes in the city.
It has been stated in history that Napoleon furnished Maximilian with the
flower of his army for the conquest of Mexico, and no doubt they were the
finest and best equipped of any soldiers of that age. The Mexican soldiers
were not equal in combat to the French. At the date of which I write
Maximilian had well nigh conquered the Mexican Republic. His soldiers had
possession of all the large cities.
Near the close of the American Civil War Maximilian was notified to
withdraw his army from the Mexican conquest. The evacuation of his troops
and his consequent execution have been recorded in history. Quite recently,
as a sad little reminiscence of that event, I noticed the death of one of the
last remaining soldiers of that ill-fated expedition, who died in Paris,
France.--- V.A. Camp, Stamford, Texas."