The Civil War Parlor

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”The dead continue to live by way of the resurrection we give them in telling their stories” -Stories of Real Human Beings Make History Powerful~Photographs Make it Immediate.

A Blog Remembering the Men and Women of the American Civil War, North & South, people, faces, and a unique culture we will never see again. Photos and stories about the people that lived it, including African American Photographs, Pre-Civil War history & the period in cultural history that began just after the Civil War. The historical info, photos and documents on this blog reflect the attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of different times. This blog does not endorse the views expressed in some posts, which may contain materials offensive to some readers. You cannot compare the beliefs, values, politics, ethical values of today to the people of the 1800's.

Every effort is taken to remember the men and women of the Union and Confederacy equally with dignity and respect. The men and women who's photos are posted on this blog have living relatives today, please respect the families and their memory~

The events of the war, and the men of the war, are fast fading from the public attention. Its history is growing to be an “Old, Old Story.” Public interest is weakening day by day. The memory of march, and camp, and battle-field, of the long and manly endurance, of the superb and uncomplaining courage, of the mass of sacrifice that redeemed the Nation, is fast dying out. Those who rejoice in the liberty and peace secured by the soldier’s suffering and privation, accept the benefits, but deny or forget the benefactor-1877 National Tribune

(IF I HAVE MADE AN ERROR ON A HISTORICAL FACT PLEASE CONTACT ME DIRECTLY SO I CAN CORRECT IT) if I posted something unknowingly that you own copyright to, I will remove it immediately.

“The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted."― D.H. Lawrence

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Fair Oaks, Virginia Prof. Thaddeus S. Lowe observing the battle from his balloon “Intrepid”] Photo Library of Congress

The balloons and aeronauts conducted aerial reconnaissance and artillery spotting. With an ability to soar a thousand feet above the landscape, balloons gave military leaders a platform that allowed them to see for miles around – a decided advantage, especially in areas with little topography. During the Seven Days Campaign in 1862, Union balloons stationed at the Gaines’ Farm could observe movement within downtown Richmond, which was roughly seven miles away.

Was a Civil War balloon ever shot down while in flight?

No. There are recorded attempts by Confederate artillerists to destroy balloons on or near the ground, but all of those attempts failed. Positioned well behind the front lines, and at an altitude of near 1,000 feet, balloons were difficult, if not impossible, targets for opposing militaries.-Info from The Civil War Trust-