The Union Army Balloon Corps By Author O.J. Fargo

 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 25^th, 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.

                                      

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                                  250 YEARS OF AMERICAN HISTORY