Existing comment:
Lofty Intel: The Peninsula Campaign:
March - August, 1862
The Balloon Corps, commissioned by President Lincoln, sailed into service during the Civil War. In the Peninsula Campaign of 1862, General George B. McClellan aimed to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond. His spymaster, Allen Pinkerton, had described a far larger Confederate force than actually existed, and so McClellan advanced cautiously. This plodding pace gave both sides the chance to use tethered balloons for reconnaissance. Union Chief Aeronaut Thaddeus Lowe's balloonists were able to see far beyond Confederate lines and chart enemy movements, and they transmitted this information via telegraph to the ground. They also gathered information for Union mapmakers. Despite these advantages, McCellan's army withdrew defeated from the peninsula. The Balloon Corps was abolished in 1863. |