Cause and Effect during the Civil War

The use of air balloons during the Civil War allowed the army to send up air balloons into the sky to pin point exactly where their enemy had set their weapons up. Then they would take the balloon down and give a piece of paper to the general with a diagram which showed him where the enemy set up. This allowed them to attack where the enemy is without having to visually see them. The efficiency of the balloon corps for the Union Army contributed to their victory at the battle of Fair Oaks, Virginia. The success of the hot air balloons in spying encouraged others to invent more efficient ways of gathering data during war time. Today we have surveillance planes that are used entirely for intelligence gathering.

By Christopher Zuniga
Updated Apr 2005