Hot Air Balloon

[WinterLeia]

There's a rather entertaining scene in the TV series The Blue and the Gray involving a young Confederate soldier being sent up in a hot air balloon. I know that hot air balloons were used in the Civil War. But I was wondering how prevalent they were and how they worked out. Even though the scene begins somewhat humorously it kind of gives the impression that it's not a good idea and it's probably not going to end well for the characters involved. Sure enough, tragedy strikes when the line on the ground becomes untethered and the wind ends up pushing the balloon across the river and into enemy territory. One of the men in the balloon gets shot and killed. The other one somehow lands safely, but deep in enemy territory, and is captured almost immediately. Did anything like that happen in real life?

 

[USS ALASKA]

Civil War Ballooning | 19th Century Invention & Innovation

Interesting Facts and Frequently Asked Questions 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...

civilwartalk.com

@TSCLowe is a Balloonist - hope that is the correct term.

HTHs,
USS ALASKA

 

[rebelatsea]

Civil War Ballooning | 19th Century Invention & Innovation

Interesting Facts and Frequently Asked Questions 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...

civilwartalk.com

@TSCLowe is a Balloonist - hope that is the correct term.

HTHs,
USS ALASKA

in the C19th he would be an Aeronaut !

 

[Jim in Wisconsin]

I think they were gas filled- usually hydrogen - balloons, not hot air. I wonder if they had any trouble with explosions.

 

[USS ALASKA]

TSC Lowe article in Popular Mechanics! | 19th Century Invention & Innovation

THE MAN IN THE BALLOON Enjoy this May 2017 article about Thaddeus Lowe and Ballooning during the Civil War . . . Just in time for his induction into the U.S. Ballooning Hall of Fame at 1:00pm on Sunday July 30th in Indianola, Iowa...

civilwartalk.com

HTHs,
USS ALASKA

 

[Mint Julep]

There's a rather entertaining scene in the TV series The Blue and the Gray involving a young Confederate soldier being sent up in a hot air balloon. I know that hot air balloons were used in the Civil War. But I was wondering how prevalent they were and how they worked out. Even though the scene begins somewhat humorously it kind of gives the impression that it's not a good idea and it's probably not going to end well for the characters involved. Sure enough, tragedy strikes when the line on the ground becomes untethered and the wind ends up pushing the balloon across the river and into enemy territory. One of the men in the balloon gets shot and killed. The other one somehow lands safely, but deep in enemy territory, and is captured almost immediately. Did anything like that happen in real life?

During the earlier part of the war, they were utilized for intelligence gathering. Although they could provide valuable information, many commanders overlooked the insights from the observers, as it was a relatively new concept at the time. Instead, reconnaissance was deemed more reliable and trusted during that period. I believe the last use of them occurred in early 1863.

 

[WinterLeia]

I think they were gas filled- usually hydrogen - balloons, not hot air. I wonder if they had any trouble with explosions.

Well, I thought that was extremely dangerous because hydrogen is so flammable, and that's why they use helium instead. The Hindenburg was filled with hydrogen, and that was a catastrophe.

 

[Jim in Wisconsin]

Hydrogen gas can be made right on the site - mixing iron chunks and acid or something. Sounds stinky and dangerous to me.
Helium wasn't known at that time.

 

[rebelatsea]

Well, I thought that was extremely dangerous because hydrogen is so flammable, and that's why they use helium instead. The Hindenburg was filled with hydrogen, and that was a catastrophe.

Subsequent examination of color footage of Hindenburg and of fragments of the covering indicate that in her case it was the outer covering that ignited, the chemicals used to weatherproof the canvas mix was almost literally solid rocket fuel.

 

[tony_gunter]

FWIW, there are multiple eyewitness accounts of some type of signal balloons being used by the Confederates near Vicksburg. But no first hand Confederate accounts detailing what they were or how they were used.

 

[Trooper "D"]

I think they were gas filled- usually hydrogen - balloons, not hot air. I wonder if they had any trouble with explosions.

Too bad they were not Hot Air filled. Washington and Richmond would have been a steady supply for the Areonaughts.

 

[DorwinBlack]

Capt. George Custer went up on one of the early balloon rides during the Peninsula Campaign:

George Custer’s Reluctant Ride in a War Balloon

By Ken Zurski In 1862, at the age of twenty-two, and nearly 15 years before his death at the Battle of Little Bighorn, the newly appointed Captain George Armstrong Custer went up in a hydrogen-fill…

unrememberedhistory.com

 

[Library Lady]

Subsequent examination of color footage of Hindenburg and of fragments of the covering indicate that in her case it was the outer covering that ignited, the chemicals used to weatherproof the canvas mix was almost literally solid rocket fuel.

This documentary from PBS might be available at your library for those who are interested.

 

[redbob]

The hot air ballons in the Civil War were made of silk covered by a varnish and if they were in a city with a gas works, they were often filled with coal gas. In the field, the Union used hydrogen generators which required 3300 pounds of iron filings to be mixed with 1600 pounds of sulfuric acid which produced enough hydrogen gas to fill one ballon for each use which took about three hours.

 

[WinterLeia]

In case anyone else is interested, I learned from a Youtube video that I just randomly decided to watch that the scene was based on something that actually happened. But in the real life version, it was Union General Fitz John Porter who was the hapless balloon passenger that ended up floating freely across Confederate lines. Fortunately, for him, though, his experience had a happier ending than the fictionalized one, as the wind blew him back toward Union territory before he could be killed or captured.

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

Too bad they were not Hot Air filled. Washington and Richmond would have been a steady supply for the Areonaughts.

Hahaha!

 

[TSCLowe]

There's a rather entertaining scene in the TV series The Blue and the Gray involving a young Confederate soldier being sent up in a hot air balloon. I know that hot air balloons were used in the Civil War. But I was wondering how prevalent they were and how they worked out. Even though the scene begins somewhat humorously it kind of gives the impression that it's not a good idea and it's probably not going to end well for the characters involved. Sure enough, tragedy strikes when the line on the ground becomes untethered and the wind ends up pushing the balloon across the river and into enemy territory. One of the men in the balloon gets shot and killed. The other one somehow lands safely, but deep in enemy territory, and is captured almost immediately. Did anything like that happen in real life?

The balloon used in the Blue and the Grey was used to depict both the balloon for the Union AND the Confederate balloon.

These balloons did not use "hot air" for lift, during the Civil War the balloons were filled with City Gas, also known as Coal Gas, or hydrogen. NOTE: The balloon used in the Blue and the Grey was inflated with helium.

"Tragedy Striking" is often used by Hollywood to create tension and keep your attention. While they were frequently shot at, NO Aeronaut, Military Observer, or Civilian passenger for either the Union or Confederate Armies were ever shot or killed.

After Bull Run (First Manassas) in an attempt to gather information on their status the Aeronaut Thaddeus Lowe took a free (untethered) flight which carried him over and into Confederate held territory. Landing behind the lines, Lowe twisted his ankle as the basket hit the ground or as he was packing up the balloon. Upon hearing this Lowe's wife Leontine disguised herself as a farmer's wife and drove a buckboard through enemy lines and successfully retrieved her husband and his balloon.

There was also an instance during the Peninsula Campaign when a Union balloon broke away from it's single tether and carried Fitz John Porter on a free flight . . . but he landed safely in Union controlled territory.

Once named Chief Aeronaut, Thaddeus Lowe required all ascents to be tethered in the supply train near the Commanders Headquarters with a minimum of three lines.

Respectfully Submitted,

TSC Lowe, Aeronaut
Civil War Balloon Corps Living History

The pictures below are from the filming of "The Blue and the Grey"

 

[TSCLowe]

I think they were gas filled- usually hydrogen - balloons, not hot air. I wonder if they had any trouble with explosions.

You are correct. The balloons were filled with City Gas, also known as Coal Gas, or Hydrogen. Safety was a primary concern and the North made over 3,000 accident / incident free ascents with 12 different balloons. There were no explosions.

Respectfully Submitted,

TSC Lowe, Aeronaut
Civil War Balloon Corps Living History

 

[TSCLowe]

Well, I thought that was extremely dangerous because hydrogen is so flammable, and that's why they use helium instead. The Hindenburg was filled with hydrogen, and that was a catastrophe.

Helium was discovered in 1868 . . . after the war . . . so it wasn't available for use by either the Union or Confederate Aeronauts.

EVERYONE goes to the Hindenburg accident when I mention hydrogen . . . . . I have 34 flights logged in balloons filled with hydrogen. All without incident. We've gone back to using hydrogen for gas balloon flights here in America after Congress voted to sell our helium reserves and two of four antiquated helium producing factories closed. What used to cost us $1,200.00 to fill a 1,000 cubic meter balloon with helium would now cost us well over $60,000.00 if we had the money and could get the helium. Filling the same balloon with hydrogen today costs about $1,700.00.

Respectfully Submitted,

TSC Lowe, Aeronaut
Civil War Balloon Corps Living History

 

[John Winn]

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