Abe's Balloons

[Jim Klag]

October 4, 1861 - President Lincoln views a tethered hot-air balloon demonstration by Thaddeus Lowe outside Washington D. C. The balloon was considered a top secret observation instrument to be used for observation during battles.

President Lincoln watches a balloon ascension | October 4, 1861 | HISTORY

President Abraham Lincoln observes a balloon demonstration near Washington, D.C. Both Confederate and Union armies experimented with using balloons to gather military intelligence in the early stages of the war, but the balloons proved to be dangerous and impractical for most situations. Though...

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[Jim Klag]

Gas Balloons: View From Above the Civil War Battlefield

Led by pioneering balloonist Thaddeus Lowe, daredevil aeronauts on both sides of the war took to the skies in flimsy balloons to eyeball their opponents' every move. Soldiers on the ground often did not take kindly to the unwanted attention.

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