During the Civil War, Hot Air Balloons were used for Surveillance. This
represented the first serious use of air ships in war. This page includes
some intriguing examples of Civil War Hot Air Balloons. All illustrations on
this page are original, and over 140 years old.
Hot Air
Balloon Reconnaissance
This
is an original leaf printed in 1861 showing a Civil War Hot Air
Balloon. The upper image is captioned, "The War Balloon at
General M'Dowell's Headquarters preparing for a Reconnaissance".
The image shows a Hot Air Balloon in a Civil War Camp. A number of
soldiers are pictured holding on to tethers, keeping the balloon on the
ground. The US flag is shown flying over the camp. The lower image
shows Fremont's camp new Jefferson City, Missouri. The balloon in
the upper image is sailed by Mr. Lowe.
h1861p679
Price: $155
Civil War
Flying Machines
This
is one of the most intriguing illustrations from Civil War era Harper's
Weekly. It is an original 1864 illustration of various flying
machines. The illustration includes no less than ten concepts for
flying machines. One Hot Air Balloon is pictured tethered to the
ground. Another is the famous Teisol system which features birds
pulling the balloon along. The upper right balloon is a dirigible
style system including a propeller. In the center is the Petin system
which features a number of balloons connected together, holding a large
observation platform aloft. People are pictured walking around the
large platform. Most unusual is the Nadar system which features
upward pointing propellers with no balloon at all. Accompanying this
illustration is another leaf with includes a long and interesting story on
the history of ballooning and descriptions of the various systems in this
illustration. This illustration is in very good condition. The
margin is a little ragged, but this will be behind the mat when you frame
it, and it will not show. Click on the image to see a higher
resolution picture.
h1864p5
Price: $165
Balloon Crash
This is an original 1863
print showing the crash of a Hot Air Balloon. Hot Air Ballooning is
a relatively old sport, as shown in this fascinating print. Hot air
balloons were routinely used for surveillance in the Civil War. This
leaf contains two dramatic images of the crash of one of these earliest
balloons. The upper image is captioned, "The French Balloon Le
Grant Sweeping Along the Earth Near Nienburg", and the illustration
shows four men falling from the large gondola. Interestingly enough,
a small rabbit is pictured running for his life. The lower image is
captioned, "The Balloon Caught in a Forest- Attempts of the Aeronauts
to Escape". This image shows a spectacular view of the crashed
balloon. The envelope is strewn across a number of trees, and the
unfortunate victims are pictured around the gondola. The gondola
appears to be completely enclosed, and is very large by today's standards.
The back of the print
contains a fascinating story