THE UNION ARMY:
BALLOON CORPS
Professor Lowe's military balloon near Gaines Mill, Virginia:
Inflation of the balloon Intrepid to reconnoiter the Battle of Fair Oaks; Lowe, not visible in this image, is standing to the right of the balloon. Courtesy of the Library of Congress
The Union Army Balloon
Corps was a civilian branch of the Union Army established by Lincoln and headed
by Thaddeus S. C. Lowe to perform aerial reconnaissance and direct artillery
fire. Initially, he was offered $30 per day each day his balloon was in use but
he accepted a colonel’s $10 per day pay if he could build more than the two
balloons he was initially authorized and could hire as many men as he needed at
$3 per day.
On September 25th,
1861, after the Bull Run fiasco, Lowe received permission to build four
observation balloons with hydrogen gas generators. Eventually he used six balloons. They were stationed up and down
the Potomac River and a coal barge, the first aircraft carrier, was used to
transport them.
Credit: Ref Library of congress: negative : glass, wet collodion. | Photo shows Chief Aeronaut of the Union Army Balloon Corps Thaddeus Lowe. He often went by Professor Lowe
(Source: Higgins, M.P., 2017)
Lincoln supported the Balloon corps as he supported many of the
other ingenious inventions and weapons innovations of the day.
He was so impressed with the Balloon innovations, that he personally introduced Thaddeus Lowe to the General in Chief Winfield Scott and advised Scott to appoint Lowe the areonautics chief. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress
Lincoln saw balloons as valuable as all military
activity depending on line of sight. If you couldn’t see an object, you
couldn’t effectively deal with it. A balloon, rising 1000 feet, increased the
line of sight more than 10 times. Because they inflated quickly, the smaller
balloons (Eagle, Constitution, and Washington) were used in windier weather, or
for quick, low altitude observations. The larger balloons (Union and Intrepid) were
used for carrying more weight, such as a telegraph key set and an additional
man as an operator. They could also ascend higher. The balloons were
purposely colorful and easily visible to intimidate Confederate troops, making
them feel as if nearby Union troops were watching them.
[Prof. Thaddeus Lowe's "Balloon Camp" at Gaines Mill, Va., May 1862: balloon in backgrd. across field; horsemen in foregrd.] Courtesy Library of Congress
The balloons had a crew of 7 and
were inflated with hydrogen gas generators (sulfuric acid and iron filings).
The balloon itself was constructed with India silk and cotton cording covered
with varnish. The $1,500 ($58,500 today) silk balloons could be moved with
relative ease but it took several hours to inflate. They were useful for
engineers interested in mapping terrain, observing fixed defenses, locating
river crossing sites, and spotting for artillery. Dawn was the best time for
reconnaissance as the observer could locate enemy positions and estimate
manpower on the basis of breakfast campfires. From late 1861 to early
1862, the balloons were tethered around D.C. along the Potomac River. This
surveillance allowed the Union Army to protect the capital from Confederate
attacks. The Union used balloons during the Manassas Campaign. On September 24,
1861, Cannon could only accurately fire at targets they could see. Lowe
provided intelligence which enabled Union troops at Arlington, Virginia to
accurately fire at Confederates at Falls Church, Virginia, without having a
visual.
By March 1862 Thaddeus Lowe
operated two observation balloons. Often the observer could estimate almost
down to a platoon the size of the Confederate forces by the campfires. Often
these ascensions were dangerous because “some stupid sentinel, ignorant whether
the aerial voyager was friend or enemy, would be sure to fire at the indiscreet
individual who thus hovered over their heads.” Such incidents convinced the balloonists
to mark their baskets with red, white and blue bunting.
When it was impractical to use the
aerial telegraph, written messages, weighted with a stone were dropped to an
officer, who sent them on. By using the telegraph, Lowe directed the first
artillery fire directed by aerial observation. A telegraph line was run from
the balloon car to the gun positions, and the effect of each shot was
communicated to a general officer more than three miles away. Flags were also
used to direct artillery fire. However, enemy surveillance was the greatest
value. In 1862 Lowe used small signal balloons with daytime markings and flares
for night operations. He also constructed a powerful oxyhydrogen or calcium
light apparatus to facilitate night operations when secrecy was not essential.
Balloons were used
extensively in the east during the 1862 Peninsula Campaign where they were
effective enough to observe movement in downtown Richmond, seven miles away.
The were also employed during the Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville campaigns.
Flag Officer Andrew
Foote used the Eagle
as an artillery-spotting platform on the Mississippi River’s Island Number Ten.
The Eagle’s spotter recommended firing corrections to the mortar boats which
enabled them to wreck many Confederate guns, allowing Pope’s forces to capture New
Madrid, Missouri, and the island on April 7, 1862. Confederate attempts to
shoot the balloons down were not successful. Positioned well behind the front
lines at an altitude of near 1,000 feet, balloons were difficult, if not
impossible, targets.
Maj. Gen. George
McClellan valued the aerial observation as did many senior Federal officers,
including, Fitz John Porter, John Sedgwick, Baldy Smith, John
Reynolds, Joe Hooker, and George Custer rode in balloons. Despite its successes, a
variety of factors led to the abandonment of the balloon corps in 1863. Its funding was cut in 1863
making it less effective, Lowe’s pay was reduced and he was accused of fiscal
wrongdoing. Furthermore, Balloon Corps personnel never received a military
commission, leaving them open to being executed as spies.
Lowe had a
difficult time integrating his operation into Army bureaucracy The Balloon
Corps was never fully appreciated by the military as balloonists were regarded
as carnival showmen. Lowe’s information was often ignored by many commanding
officers who didn’t trust a civilian. They preferred intelligence from scouts,
spies, prisoners, and deserters.
Many times,
communication with the battlefield officers was difficult and it couldn’t move
as quickly as desired. The aeronauts’ intelligence reports were vague which
irritated battlefield commanders. Reports drafted by officers who accompanied
them were more precise, but commanders rarely assigned them to balloon duty. Those conditions, combined
with Lowe not being able to get along with Capt. Cyrus B. Comstock, his final
supervisor, led to his resignation from the army on May 7, 1863 and Grant
dissolving the Corps on May 8, 1863.
ARMY OF THE SOUTHWEST
250 YEARS OF AMERICAN HISTORY
