Civil War Ballooning

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Interesting Facts and Frequently Asked Questions

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Fair Oaks, Virginia. Prof. Thaddeus S. Lowe replenishing balloon INTREPID from balloon CONSTITUTION - May 1862 (Library of Congress)

Were balloons used by world militaries before the American Civil War?

The French Committee of Public Safety created a Corp d’Aerostiers in 1794. Intended to conduct aerial reconnaissance, the balloons first went into action during the battles of Charleroi and Fleurus later that year. The Corps remained in service until it was disbanded during the Egyptian campaign. Lowe’s Aeronautic Corps was the second major international experiment in airborne battlefield reconnaissance.

What roles did balloons play during the Civil War?

The balloons and aeronauts conducted aerial reconnaissance and artillery spotting. With an ability to soar a thousand feet above the landscape, balloons gave military leaders a platform that allowed them to see for miles around – a decided advantage, especially in areas with little topography. During the Seven Days Campaign in 1862, Union balloons stationed at the Gaines’ Farm could observe movement within downtown Richmond, which was roughly seven miles away.

Civil War Ballooning

Did both sides use balloons during the Civil War?

Both sides used balloons,although the Union aeronautical program was far more successful and better organized.

Were the balloons used in the Civil War purpose built for military use?

Thaddeus Lowe designed especially tough balloons for use with the army. They were constructed of more durable material than those flown by civilian aeronauts.

Did they use balloons in both the eastern and western theaters of the Civil War?

Balloons were used in the eastern theatre, to some extent on the western rivers and along the southern coast. Union balloons were employed around Washington DC and Manassas in 1861, used extensively during the 1862 Peninsula Campaign, and employed during the Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville campaigns. In the western theater, balloons were used to support the campaign against Island Number 10 in the Mississippi River. Confederate balloons were employed around Richmond during the Seven Days Campaign.

How big were Civil War balloons? How many people could they carry?

The largest balloons (Union and Intrepid) had a capacity of 32,000 cubic feet of lifting gas and could carry 5 people aloft. Constitution and United States had 25,000 cubic foot envelopes and could carry up to three people. Washington had a 20,000 cubic foot bag and could carry two people aloft. With a capacity of 15,000 cubic feet each, Eagle and Excelsior were one man craft.

Smaller balloons could be inflated and sent skywards in a shorter amount of time. Larger balloons carried more observers and could include telegraphers and their gear.

What did they inflate Civil War balloons with? And how did they inflate balloons out in the field?

Balloons were normally inflated with city gas when it was available, as in Washington and Richmond. In the field, Thaddeus Lowe designed and the Navy Yard constructed special inflation wagons. Charged with dilute sulfuric acid and iron filings, they generated hydrogen. These portable gas generation wagons gave the Union balloonists the ability to deploy more freely in the field.

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The Intrepid was the largest balloon used during the Civil War and could carry 5 men aloft. A portrait of Gen. McClellan suspended from a beak of an eagle filled one side of the balloon. (James L. Green)

Could Civil War balloons fly in an independent or were they someone tied to the ground?

With the exception of some John La Mountain flights, Civil War balloons were always intended to be tethered to the ground. There were accidents, however, as in the famous flight of Fitz John Porter over the Confederate lines and back again.

Why did Union balloons employ such colorful designs? Weren’t they afraid of being shot at?

Lowe was a born showman. In addition, he may have thought that the sight of a balloon watching over them would disconcert the Confederates.

Was a Civil War balloon ever shot down while in flight?

No. There are recorded attempts by Confederate artillerists to destroy balloons on or near the ground, but all of those attempts failed. Positioned well behind the front lines, and at an altitude of near 1,000 feet, balloons were difficult, if not impossible, targets for opposing militaries.

Were any photographs taken from balloons during the war?

Not that we know of, which is a bit strange because photographs of both Paris and Boston were taken from balloons before the war.

How did Civil War balloonists transmit their observations to their high commands?

By telegraph or signal flags. Lowe had developed his own signal system which was not implemented. The larger Union balloons could carry telegraphers and their gear in the basket, thus speeding along information derived from aerial observations.

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View of the George Washington Parke Custis operating a Civil War balloon from its decks. (Wikimedia)

Did the navies on either side employ balloons?

Yes. During the fighting at Island Number 10, John Steiner directed naval gunfire against masked Confederate targets while flying tethered to a vessel.

Both sides utilized naval vessels to help transport and support balloon operations during the war. Naval vessels greatly improved the ability to move and support cumbersome balloons in theaters that had navigable coasts and rivers. The George Washington Parke Custis, a converted coal barge, was used by the Union army as an early aircraft carrier. And the CSS Teaser was used by Confederate forces to deploy balloons on the James River. On July 4, 1862 the CSS Teaser ran aground in the James and it and its balloon were captured by the USS Maratanza.

Did the senior military leaders value balloons?

After witnessing a balloon demonstration near the White House in 1861, Abraham Lincoln became an active proponent of using balloons to assist the war effort. Maj. Gen. George McClellan greatly valued the intelligence derived from aerial observation and many senior Federal officers, including McClellan, Fitz John Porter, John Sedgwick, Baldy Smith, John Reynolds, Joe Hooker, and George Custer made ascents in balloons.

Famed Confederate artillerist Edward Porter Alexander made a number of ascents in the Confederate balloon Gazelle during the Seven Days Campaign. Ordered by Robert E. Lee to observe Union movements in the theater, Alexander would later write that “skilled observers in balloons could give information of priceless value.” He also described the Union decision to abandon military ballooning as a “decided mistake.”

If balloons were so valuable, why did the Union army stop using them during the war?

This is a complicated question. A variety of factors led to the abandonment of the balloon corps in 1863. As a civilian, Lowe had a difficult time integrating his operation into Army bureaucracy. Lowe, while politically astute and conscious of the need for good public relations, had a difficult time with the officers overseeing his operation. The communication of balloon intelligence to a commander engaged in battle was sometimes difficult. The Corps faced difficult logistical problems that sometimes prevented it from moving as quickly as desired.

Is it true that Ferdinand von Zeppelin came to America to observe Civil War balloons in operation?

No, he did not come to the U.S. to observe balloon operations. He served with Federal cavalry units in Northern Virginia. At the end of his visit, he wanted to see some more of the country. He travelled to New York City, up the Hudson, across the state on the Erie Canal, across the Great Lakes and out into Minnesota, where he met John Steiner, one of Lowe’s aeronauts, who had returned to his pre-war profession as an exhibition balloonist. Zeppelin flew with him and listened to his dreams of a navigable airship. Many years later the Count explained that the experience with Steiner had marked the beginning of his own interest in flight.

http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/civil-war-ballooning/civil-war-ballooning.html
 
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More interesting facts regarding ballooning (more specifically Professor Lowe).

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Colorized version of refilling Intrepid.

What happened to Professor Lowe after the war?

Following the war Lowe amassed a fortune from his experiments and business ventures. In 1887 he moved to Pasadena California and built a 24,000 square foot mansion. He owned the water and gas company, a bank, several ice plants and the opera house.

Was anything named in honor of Professor Lowe?

Yes, the Lowe Observatory on Echo Mountain (near Pasadena) was named in his honor as well as nearby Mt. Lowe. Access to the public was provided by the Mount Lowe Incline Railway, which was owned by Professor Lowe. The observatory operated 1894 until it was destroyed in a storm in 1928 the railway continued operation into the 1930 when it was also destroyed in a storm. The remains sold for scrap in 1940. Today the original telescope is in storage, but not operational. The observatory was never rebuilt. It is possible to visit nearby Mt. Lowe, but is only accessible by a fire road and there are no structures on the site.

Did Professor Lowe have any patents?

Yes, Professor Lowe had many patents mostly for the production of gasses involved with ballooning. He was able to use the process to produce some of the first commercially successful ice houses and made a large fortune. Unfortunately due to financial panic in the 1890's he lost his fortune and never recovered financially.

Did Professor Lowe have anything to do with the Tournament of Rose Parade during his time in Pasadena?

Yes, in 1895 Professor Lowe entered the Tournament of Roses Parade and won for "Best Decorated Carriage".

Did any of Lowe's descendants take up aviation?

Yes, Lowe's granddaughter Florence Lowe visited early aviation meets with her grandfather. She was very enthusiastic about aviation and in her 20's took up flying. As a contemporary of Amelia Earhart's the two women competed together in several early competitions. By this time she had married Reverend Barnes and she assumed the nickname of "Pancho". She broke Earhart's Women's world speed record in 1930 to become the fastest woman alive.

In 1930 she was hired as a stunt woman for Howard Hughes movie "Hell's Angels". She made a great number of friends in Hollywood.

What happened to Pancho Barnes?

While the family had recovered much of her grandfathers fortune during the boom of the 1920's (he died in 1913) she lost the money during the depression in the 1930's and was forced to sell her record breaking plane as well as her real estate holdings. She moved to the Mojave desert north of Los Angeles and built the "Rancho Oro Verde Fly-Inn Dude Ranch", later also known as the "Happy Bottom Riding Club" which catered to local flyers in the area.

During World War II the Army began using nearby Muroc airfield (later Edward's Air Force Base) as a training and testing facility Barnes was able to capitalize on her location and became a favorite of both local airmen as well as the Hollywood crowd. She was close friends with many notables such as Chuck Yeager (first to break the speed of sound in 1947) as well as Jimmy Doolittle and even future astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

The U.S. Government offered to buy the property in the early 1950's to extend the base, but she refused. When the government tried to seize her land she sued. Her ranch was burned (cause never determined) in 1952 and the property sold to the Air Force in 1953. The financial loss of the ranch and her legal bills left her with few assets. Barnes passed away from cancer in 1973. Her son, Bill Barnes followed her in aviation and died while piloting a P-51 Mustang in 1980.

Was Pancho Barnes ever depicted in the movies?

In 1983 the movie "The Right Stuff" the bar from the Happy Bottom Riding club Kim Stanley depicted Pancho as host of the bar. Sam Shepard played Chuck Yeager while the real Chuck Yeager had a cameo role as a bartender working for Pancho.

Pancho Barnes was again depicted in the 1988 TV movie "Pancho" this time portrayed by Valerie Bertinelli.

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Professor Lowe aboard the Intrepid, 1862.

OK, that's all I have. Anyone else?
 
Look up Richard Davidson, who wanted to build a fleet of orinthopters (he called the Artis Avis) and establish aerial supremacy. Of course, his 1 HP steam engine, iron framed, oak planked craft probably would have lifted off the ground, yet alone carry its conductor who would also serve as navigator and bombardier for its 50 lb bomb.

I had an article published in The Military Collector and Historian on Davidson and his orinthopter. Of course, it never would have flown and his claim that it glided when towed by a train is false. Had it flown when towed, there would be contemporary accounts of it as it could not have been concealed. Davidson was the only person to assert it.
 
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Look up Richard Davidson, who wanted to build a fleet of orinthopters (he called the Artis Avis) and establish aerial supremacy. Of course, his 1 HP steam engine, iron framed, oak planked craft probably would have lifted off the ground, yet alone carry its conductor who would also serve as navigator and bombardier.

There is an article about Davidson here. I never considered him credible and always thought there was little chance of success. Lack of funds, material and experience I think his efforts (as designed) would have failed. Perhaps given proper backing he may have been able to make something of it, but to those that say that he would have beaten the Wright brothers in heavier than air flight, I think not.

BTW. My name is David Richardson for my entire life I have had people transpose it and call me Richard Davidson. Very frustrating. I wonder if he had people calling him by my name???
 
Davidson was serious and back in the 1840s he tried to get the Post Office to fund his work. Back then he envisioned a watch spring that would be wound up and when unleashed, would start the flapping of the wings. The Post Office rejected it and he also appealed to Virginia, offering to give it all the rights if they would fund him. By the 1860s he modernized it by substituting a steam engine for the spring. I sent a draft of the revised and updated article to the Smithsonian Air & Space museum for publication but they weren't interested. It included more findings (mostly genealogy) on Davidson including mention that post war he practiced dentistry in Waco, TX --- that says a lot about the state of art of dentistry back then. The Smithsonian did keep the article though.
 
Davidson was serious and back in the 1840s he tried to get the Post Office to fund his work. Back then he envisioned a watch spring that would be wound up and when unleashed, would start the flapping of the wings. The Post Office rejected it and he also appealed to Virginia, offering to give it all the rights if they would fund him. By the 1860s he modernized it by substituting a steam engine for the spring. I sent a draft of the revised and updated article to the Smithsonian Air & Space museum for publication but they weren't interested. It included more findings (mostly genealogy) on Davidson including mention that post war he practiced dentistry in Waco, TX --- that says a lot about the state of art of dentistry back then. The Smithsonian did keep the article though.

I don't doubt that he was serious, I just think from what I have read and seen that technical limitations would have grounded the experiment.

As for the Smithsonian I have read that they have an agreement in place with the Wright family to never acknowledge any heavier than air flight prior to the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk. From what I have heard this means that they ignore things like yours even if it was only theoretical and not a tested idea.
 
Any balloon reenactors? That would be a hoot. And much tidier than cavalry units.

At the Moorpark, CA reenactment in November there usually is a few reenactors that are balloonists. They are modern day balloonists but bring small scale models and displays of what the period stuff would look like.

When I did my colorization I did find some info that flew a full scale replica in Buffalo, NY about 2 years ago. I checked the link I had for the story and it is no longer active. It was great they had a video interview with the crew as well as a descendant of Lowe.
 
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