Gen Porter in a Balloon

[John Hartwell]

[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Observation_balloon_RAE-O982a.jpg]
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The Bedford (Ind.) Daily Mail, of June 14, 1906, contains the story of Gen.FitzJohn Porter's close call as an aeronaut:

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

"... and they were in splendid condition ". If newspapers in 2019 were glued together by these wonderful authors, they'd find readership increased. I'm a news hound but admit to finding a lot of the writing dry as toast.

Awesome story, Jno!

 

[Seduzal]

Never heard or seen this before. Learned something new today. Thanks for sharing this awesome article. Enjoyed reading it.

 

[JOHN42768]

Great story. Wonder why General was all alone without an aide

 

[Pollaco]

Didn't Custer have a balloon experience too, In his pre-general days?

 

[TSCLowe]

You can read Charles Evans account of Porter's adventures aloft in his book "War of the Aeronauts"

the Fitz John Porter Monument in Portsmouth, New Hampshire includes a bronze plaque of him in a balloon basket

@JPK Huson 1863: the article reads "John was endowed with an immense pair of lungs and they were in splendid condition." referring to air to ground calls for help and ground to air instructions provided. NOTE: One does not have to be very boisterous as there is nothing to defuse sound from air to ground and vice versa . . . no trees, bushes, buildings to absorb or bounce sound in other directions. If I'm flying over your neighborhood at 3,000 ft above the ground I can clearly hear children yelling "Hello" and "Land here! Land Here!"

@JOHN42768: It was early in the morning. Porter had gone aloft multiple times and was comfortable enough with his experiences to convince James Allen, the Aeronaut assigned to the Balloon, to let him go up by himself for a "quick look" to make notes before he went to a Staff Meeting.

@Polloco: Lieutenant Custer bad mouthed the Balloon Corps from its inception. As fate had it he was later assigned as an observer - the Aeronauts were Civilian Contractors and senior leaders thought it best for a Military Observer trained in strategy and tactics to go aloft when opportunity provided. Custer went aloft during the Peninsula Campaign from the Warwick Courthouse in a balloon operated by the Aeronaut James Allen. Expressing his anxiety, Custer kept asking "Is it safe? Is it safe?" Allen replied 'Of course it is, I do it all of the time!' As the balloon left the ground rising into the air Custer went as far into the bottom of the basket as he could. When the balloon reached its maximum tethered height Custer asked again "Is it safe?" To play with Custer for his history of bad mouthing the balloons Allen's response was to jump up and down thus violently shaking the basket and said "Of course it is, I do it all of the time!" To his credit, Custer was the first to observe and report the Confederates withdraw from Yorktown.

Respectfully Submitted,

TSC Lowe, Aeronaut

 

[John Hartwell]

So, the true story is even more interesting without the apparently apocryphal "bellowing boy from Maine!"

 

[Pollaco]

I like that part about Custer going as far down in the basket as he could. Did he assume the fetal position or did his knees buckle? Either way it paints an image of a frightened Custer. The term "paleface" comes to mind.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

If I'm flying over your neighborhood at 3,000 ft above the ground I can clearly hear children yelling "Hello" and "Land here! Land Here!"

So you guys CAN hear us? That's a little awesome. May or may not be guilty of yelling silly things like ' Hey! Over here! ".

 

[TSCLowe]

So you guys CAN hear us? That's a little awesome. May or may not be guilty of yelling silly things like ' Hey! Over here! ".

Some pilots and passengers will respond . . . . I usually do not as their neighbors may have just finished working 3rd shift and are trying to sleep and may not be as excited to see us