HistoryCamp is an annual all-day conference on all things history. Typically held in Boston each summer, there was an additional even in May 2023 at Valley Forge National Park in my home state of Pennsylvania. I did a 90-minute presentation entitled “Managing The First Air Force: Lincoln, His Generals, and the Civil War Balloon Corps“.
Few people are even aware that balloons were deployed as part of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It’s a fascinating footnote of both American and general aviation history. Not only were these the first military aircraft deployed in a war zone, but they also created the first aircraft carrier – in the Civil War!
This is a topic I first began researching as an undergraduate history student way back in 2005, but I began working with passenger balloons a decade before that. As both a balloon enthusiast and a historical researcher, I love to share stories about this little-known part of our shared history.
Would you be interested in having me present this topic to your school or organization? Email me.
