Sir Garnet Wolseley has the following comments to make on elephants in the 1886 Edition of The Soldier's Pocket Book for Field Service.
The load for steady work should not exceed 1200 lbs. for the large-sized, and about 800 lbs. for the small-sized animals: in Abyssinia the weights carried by the artillery elephants averaged from 532.4 to 844 lbs., including weight of pad (5oo lbs.): the 12 pr. Armstrong guns (weighing 924 lbs.) were carried on elephants.
It is most tractable in disposition, is invaluable during marches in countries flooded by rain for extricating carts, guns and wagons that have stuck in the mud. They are now used in India for the draught of guns in siege trains; before such guns are taken under fire it is necessary to have the elephants taken out and replaced by bullocks, as the former will not stand fire. The average weight of an elephant in India is from about 5,600 to 6,600 lbs. They are often used in hilly countries to carry guns on their backs.
One elephant is calculated as equalling 3 or 4 two-bullock carts, or 3 camels. In Bengal 3 S.S.'s tents are allowed as a load to each elephant, or 1 1/3 elephant to every 2 E. P. tents. They only sleep for about 4 or 5 hours in the 24, so when
possible they should be left undisturbed from 9 A.M. until 3 P.M. daily.
I would say based on the load-carrying ability, the correct job for elephant worker units would be building roads, building railroads, building forts, irrigate, clear forest (pretty obvious), and clear jungle. Probably build colonies as well, along with build barricade. No mining or clearing pollution.
The stats could be, because of their size, attack 1, defend 2, moves 1, with a worker strength of maybe 150 to 200. Ideally, they would upgrade in the Industrial Era to something like a bulldozer, but not necessarily as they are still in use in lumbering operations.
So, what does everyone think?
