Skip to Main Content
New York State Library Logo

Civil War Illustrations

Professor Thaddeus Lowe Making a Balloon Ascension on a Reconnoitering Mission

a hot air balloon about to take off for a reconnaissance survey while soldiers watch from the sidelines

Caption: Professor [Thaddeus S.C.] Lowe Making a Balloon Ascension on a Reconnoitering Mission to Vienna, [Virginia] – Sketched by our special artist. – [See page 791 for related story.]

Source: Illustration from Harper's Weekly, December 14, 1861, page 790.