Customer Reviews

War of the Aeronauts

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I am just estatic over this new book on Civil War balloons written by Charles M. Evans. Number one, he is an extremely engaging writer who can balance telling a good story along with the the necessary historical data to back up what he writes about (this book is voluminously footnoted!).

War of the Aeronauts really does add a new and hitherto unexplored facet of the Civil War. Literally thousands of books have been written about land battles, general and leaders, and even naval situations--but few have even mentioned America's first air force. Thaddeus Lowe should go down in history as one of the great innovators of the 19th century. Evans' fascinating writing style captures the essence of how Lowe persevered in his quest to prove how aeronautics could be used on the battlefield despite the artillery fire from the Confederates and the infighting and technical indifference displayed by Union military leaders.

This book is definitely a must read for anyone who thinks they have read everything there is to read on Civil War history.

I just finished reading a remarkable book about how balloons were used during the Civil War. It's entitled, The War of the Aeronauts--A History of Ballooning in the Civil War by Charles Evans and it's published by Stackpole Books.

I really have to say that War of the Aeronauts tells a fascinating story that really hasn't been told by any other Civil War historian. The main character of this book is a man name Thaddeus Lowe who was a professional balloonist. Evans introduces Lowe in the first chapter of the book by describing a free flight balloon journey that Lowe undertook from Cincinnati, Ohio to Union, South Carolina on April 20, 1861, just ten after the bombardment of Fort Sumter. Lowe was trying to test out the possibility of crossing the Atlantic Ocean by balloon, but after landing in Confederate territory and almost being shot as a spy, Lowe resolves himself to volunteer his efforts to the
Union Army.

This book reads like a fiction story, but it is voluminously

footnoted by Evans and it is well indexed. The story about how
Abraham Lincoln had to personally intevene on behalf of Lowe with a skeptical Winfield Scott is a true classic. And the real story about the Confederate Silk Dress Balloon is told in great and revealing details (Did the women of the South really donate their dresses to build a Southern balloon for Lee--Evans tells the actual story).

The War of the Aeronauts is really a must read. Just as the other reviews of this book I have read have indicated, I heartily recommend War of the Aeronauts to anyone who wants to read something "new" about the Civil War.

Morgan Thomas
Burlingame, California

The thing that makes this book so readable is that I started to care about the people, almost like they were characters in the latest fiction novel. I wanted Thaddeus Lowe to get the commission - I felt betrayed whenever one of the other aeronauts got government sanctioning; I was scared for him behind enemy lines; I longed for him to succeed. Not to mention, of course, that I started hating Congress for not allotting him more money! (one of his major backers was Stephen A Douglas, who unfortunately died only a few months into the war) Often military histories will mention balloons being out over the army, but as they are MILITARY histories, and the battles are apparently more interesting than everything that went into preparing for the battle, the balloons are just mentionned. This book is relatively long, seeing as it only covers two years of the war (the Balloon Corps was disbanded in 1863) but it covers an early history of balloons and follows Lowe after the war. It reads like a novel, and goes quickly. There are a lot of primary sources quoted within, such as the note Lincoln wrote to Winfield Scott to allow Lowe an audience, or many different telegrams and letters trying to get the balloons corps off the ground (pardon the pun!). It is not necessary to know anything about the Civil War to enjoy this book, because it is written so well. Battles are mentionned, of course, as well as the different generals that were interested in using the balloons as observation platforms, but as long as you know the name "Bull Run" was the first battle...well, that's about the extent of the military knowledge you need. Not to say, of course, that someone who does have extensive Civil War knowledge can't enjoy this book, because it is such an interesting and different topic to learn about!

Over all, I am very happy with what I learned and it is one to keep on the shelf.

I just finished reading the War of the Aeronauts and I found it a real delight. I never knew how important balloons were during the war and Evans really writes both a good story and packs in a lot of info. It's a real shame that the balloons were discontinued as early as they were. It seems as if they might have been able to play a significant role in ending the war soon. Oh well, alternate scenarios. But the War of the Aeronatus is a great book.

The War of the Aeronauts is a superbly written book by a very talented author. Who knew that balloons were actually used as extensively as they were during the Civil War? I didn't, that's for sure, and that is where this book does something that few books on the subject of Civil War history have done for me lately--it tells me something that is absolutely new about the subject of the Civil War.

If you think you have read all there is to read about the Civil War, think again. This book fills in one of the last missing chapters about the Civil War--the war from the air. Well done.

I am a huge Civil War buff, but this book really blew me away. I didn't know that the balloons and the pilots who flew them were as important as they apparently were during the Civil War. This is a great book.