Air Balloon During The Civil War Essay
Surveillance of the Civil War
The Civil War was a time of tremendous change and innovation. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Americans witnessed the invention of numerous life changing machines. The 1800's brought the arc lamp, printing presses, photography, steam locomotives, telegraphs, revolvers, and the safety pin (About 1). The year of 1783 marked the invention of the air balloon. Over the next few decades scientists and adventurers modified and improved upon the original concepts of the air balloon. The air balloon, not to be mistaken with the hot air balloon, was often filled with helium or other light gases to get off the ground. The most primitive were even filled with smoke. During the early sessions of the Civil War we can see that air balloons played a major role in gathering battlefield information. Peter Jackson, a historian of air balloons has stated that "captive balloons were some of the first air balloons used during a period of war."
During the Civil War both the union and confederate armies used air balloons for investigation. John Wise, a balloon inventor, was the first to receive orders to build a balloon for the union army …show more content…
The first U.S. balloon designed for military use, the Union, was ready for action on August 28. Because he was forced to inflate the balloon with gas from municipal lines in Washington, D.C , the balloon could not be moved far, which limited operations to the Washington, DC, area. On September 24, 1861, Lowe ascended to more than 1,000 feet near Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, DC, and began telegraphing intelligence on the Confederate troops located at Falls Church, Virginia, more than three miles away. Union guns were aimed and fired accurately at the Confederate troops without actually being able to see them. This was one of the greatest advantages an army had ever witnessed (Stansbury
The Civil War was a time of tremendous change and innovation. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Americans witnessed the invention of numerous life changing machines. The 1800's brought the arc lamp, printing presses, photography, steam locomotives, telegraphs, revolvers, and the safety pin (About 1). The year of 1783 marked the invention of the air balloon. Over the next few decades scientists and adventurers modified and improved upon the original concepts of the air balloon. The air balloon, not to be mistaken with the hot air balloon, was often filled with helium or other light gases to get off the ground. The most primitive were even filled with smoke. During the early sessions of the Civil War we can see that air balloons played a major role in gathering battlefield information. Peter Jackson, a historian of air balloons has stated that "captive balloons were some of the first air balloons used during a period of war."
During the Civil War both the union and confederate armies used air balloons for investigation. John Wise, a balloon inventor, was the first to receive orders to build a balloon for the union army …show more content…
The first U.S. balloon designed for military use, the Union, was ready for action on August 28. Because he was forced to inflate the balloon with gas from municipal lines in Washington, D.C , the balloon could not be moved far, which limited operations to the Washington, DC, area. On September 24, 1861, Lowe ascended to more than 1,000 feet near Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, DC, and began telegraphing intelligence on the Confederate troops located at Falls Church, Virginia, more than three miles away. Union guns were aimed and fired accurately at the Confederate troops without actually being able to see them. This was one of the greatest advantages an army had ever witnessed (Stansbury