Aeronautics In The Union And Confederate Armies; With A Survey Of Military Aeronautics Prior To 1861

An illuminating study of the history of the development of air weapons for reconnaissance and offensive operations, usually thought to have only begun with WWI but which, the author shows, go back well before the American Civil War but saw important developments during that war. The book studies the work of such pioneers as James Allen, John Wise, John La Mountain, and T.S.C. Lowe, their failures and, in the case of Lowe, important successes in the creation of the Balloon Service of the Army of the Potomac. The book traces in detail the materiel and personnel, its administration and operation, and operations during the war. 55 plates including a fold-out map. Index. Reprint edition. 1941: 443 pages + plates. Softcover. (Scholar's Bookshelf)