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Hot Air Balloon Dbq

Decent Essays

Our thesis, “The inventions of the hot air balloon and water vessels during the Civil War both were new methods of transportation and helped the Union succeed” was accepted. The hot air balloons helped give the Union an observational advantage on the battlefield and the ironclad ships (specifically the Monitor) gave the Union a advantage in warfare on the rivers and ocean. Firstly, the ironclad ship helped the Union gain power in naval warfare in the oceans and the rivers. One piece of evidence that supports this is “After building just eight paddle steamers between 1837 and 1852, the American navy commissioned none until after the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, when vessels of all types would be added for the blockade of the rebellious …show more content…

With an ability to soar a thousand feet above the landscape, balloons gave military leaders a platform that allowed them to see for miles around – a decided advantage, especially in areas with little topography. During the Seven Days Campaign in 1862, Union balloons stationed at the Gaines’ Farm could observe movement within downtown Richmond, which was roughly seven miles away.” This shows how helpful these balloons were by giving the Union military the ability to see for miles and scope out any potential threats or targets. The Ironclad ships gave an advantage similar in size. For example according to The American Nation, "Its most unusual feature was the revolving gun turret, which made it possible to fire at the enemy from any angle without having to turn the ship around.". This was very useful to the Union by giving them the ability to attack from any angle. This was incredibly powerful especially since at the time the Confederacy didn’t have much of a Navy at all. Finally, another source to support this also comes from The American Battlefield Trust and says, “There are recorded attempts by Confederate artillerists to destroy balloons on or near the ground, but all of those attempts failed. Positioned well behind the front lines, and at an altitude of near 1,000 feet, balloons were difficult, if not impossible, targets for opposing militaries.". This shows a clear advantage for the Union when the balloons they had deployed were undefeated it strength. It gave the Union the advantage by opening a whole new window of opportunity into military aircraft as a way to observe and possibly

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