During the summer of 1861, a pair of competing visionaries ushered in the concept of aerial reconnaissance when they successfully piloted gas-filled balloons hundreds of feet into the air. In separate events, John LaMountain and Thadeus Lowe viewed Confederate troop encampments and reported their findings to Union Army officers.
As soon as Confederate soldiers learned their adversaries had developed eyes in the sky, they quickly developed strategies to shoot them down – ushering in the concept of contested air space.
more…