(CIVIL WAR--AVIATION.) Two issues of the Philadelphia Inquirer featuring illustrations of military balloons. Each 8 pages, 21 1/4 x 16 inches, bound with tape; folds, otherwise minimal wear. Philadelphia, 19 April and 3 May 1862
The aeronaut Thaddeus Lowe launched the field of aerial military reconnaissance with the Union Army Balloon Corps in 1861. His role in the 1862 Peninsular Campaign was a subject of public fascination. The 19 April 1862 issue has a crude front-page plan, "Position of the Rebel Entrenchments at Yorktown," which features "Prof. Lowe's Balloon" observing the Confederate batteries. The 3 May issue has a large bird's eye view of Fortress Monroe, with a large observation balloon tethered above.
