Balloons: From Children's Toys to War-Time Devices

Balloons have a reputation as birthday party staples and zoo souvenirs. When we see one of these bright, buoyant objects we inevitably think back to our childhoods, ice cream cakes, and cheerfully wrapped presents. But there is a surprising dark side to those joyful symbols. Balloons have long been associated with war and death. Since the Civil War, in fact, these children's playthings have played a significant role in determining the outcome of major battles.

It was Benjamin Franklin who originally floated the idea of turning innocent balloons into instruments of destruction. However, it was not until 1861 that this idea became a reality. It was then that a man named Thaddeus T.

Lowe suggested using balloons as a means to spy on the enemy, discerning their location and size. Lowe got to work on a prototype military balloon, the Intrepid, and brought his invention in for inspection at the White House. President Abraham Lincoln not only gave it the thumbs-up but also ordered the creation of the Balloon Corps. It was the first time in the history of this country that balloons were used in battle.

In the south, Confederate soldiers were devising a similar plan. As it turned out, they beat the Northern troops when it came to launching their airborne units. The Confederate Captain John R. Bryan was the first man to be lifted skyward in the basket of a balloon in wartime. From his lofty position, Capt. Bryan was able to locate the far-off Union troops.

Military balloons turned out to be a rather short-lived invention. Their heyday ran from 1861 to 1863, during which time the balloons had a significant impact on the way battles were waged. The members of the Balloon Corps even came up with a predecessor to the aircraft carrier: they equipped a coal barge to tow the balloons and launch them. Of course, along with military aircraft came the invention of anti-aircraft artillery. Lowe was one of the first targets: Confederate soldiers beneath his balloon opened fire when he was floating above them. Because the enemy could now potentially see such things as campfires from the ground, troops on the ground knew enough to put out the blazes if spy balloons were nearby.

There were visions of balloons being used in other ways, too: for troop transport, taking photographs from a great height, and dropping bombs on the troops below. But none of these other inventions ever came to fruition, and soon the military balloon as Lowe created it was relegated to the dustbin of war history.

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