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1861 Lincoln watches a balloon ascension
President Abraham Lincoln observes a balloon demonstration near Washington, D.C. Both Confederate and Union armies experimented with using balloons to gather military intelligence in the early stages of the war, but the balloons proved to be dangerous and impractical for most situations.
Though balloons were not new, many felt that their military applications had yet to be realized. Even before the firing on Fort Sumter in April 1861, several firms approached the U.S. War Department concerning contracts for balloons. The primary figure in the Union's experiment with balloons was Thaddeus S. C. Lowe, an inventor who had been experimenting with hydrogen balloons for three years before the war. He built a large craft and intended to make a transatlantic crossing, but his tests were failures. In April 1861, he conducted trials around Cincinnati, Ohio, with the support of the Smithsonian Institute. On April 19, he sailed 900 miles in nine hours, floating all the way to Unionville, South Carolina. He was jailed twice by Confederates who were convinced he was a Union spy.
Lowe became the chief of army aeronautics after the First Battle of Bull Run, and he served effectively during the Peninsular campaign of 1862. With the view provided from his balloon, he discovered that the Confederates had evacuated Yorktown and he provided important intelligence during the Battle of Fair Oaks.
Lowe enjoyed a good working relationship with George McClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac, but experienced difficulty with McClellan's successors, Generals Ambrose Burnside and Joseph Hooker, who were not convinced that balloon observations provided accurate information. Lowe became increasingly frustrated with the army, particularly after his pay was cut by 40 percent in 1863. Feeling that army commanders did not take his service seriously, Lowe resigned just after the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863. The Balloon Corps was disbanded three months later, and the U.S. Army did not use them again until 1892.
President Abraham Lincoln observes a balloon demonstration near Washington, D.C. Both Confederate and Union armies experimented with using balloons to gather military intelligence in the early stages of the war, but the balloons proved to be dangerous and impractical for most situations.
Though balloons were not new, many felt that their military applications had yet to be realized. Even before the firing on Fort Sumter in April 1861, several firms approached the U.S. War Department concerning contracts for balloons. The primary figure in the Union's experiment with balloons was Thaddeus S. C. Lowe, an inventor who had been experimenting with hydrogen balloons for three years before the war. He built a large craft and intended to make a transatlantic crossing, but his tests were failures. In April 1861, he conducted trials around Cincinnati, Ohio, with the support of the Smithsonian Institute. On April 19, he sailed 900 miles in nine hours, floating all the way to Unionville, South Carolina. He was jailed twice by Confederates who were convinced he was a Union spy.
Lowe became the chief of army aeronautics after the First Battle of Bull Run, and he served effectively during the Peninsular campaign of 1862. With the view provided from his balloon, he discovered that the Confederates had evacuated Yorktown and he provided important intelligence during the Battle of Fair Oaks.
Lowe enjoyed a good working relationship with George McClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac, but experienced difficulty with McClellan's successors, Generals Ambrose Burnside and Joseph Hooker, who were not convinced that balloon observations provided accurate information. Lowe became increasingly frustrated with the army, particularly after his pay was cut by 40 percent in 1863. Feeling that army commanders did not take his service seriously, Lowe resigned just after the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863. The Balloon Corps was disbanded three months later, and the U.S. Army did not use them again until 1892.
