as the french were the first to teach mankind the art of navigating the air by means of balloons, so they were the first to set the example of applying them to the art of war.
it may not be generally known, perhaps, that balloons have actually been used in war. they were first introduced to this new field of action at valenciennes in 1793, and the result of the experiment was a failure; not, however, owing to the fault of man, but to the unpropitious nature of the winds. the garrison, being hard pressed by the english and their allies, attached a letter, addressed to the national assembly, to a small balloon, or parachute, and committed it to a breeze which blew in the direction of paris. towards evening the wind changed, and the faithless messenger fell into the enemy’s camp!
about the same time the subject of war-balloons was brought before the committee of public safety, who commissioned a young captain of engineers, named coutelle, to make experiments, and report on the matter. he made a balloon twenty-seven feet in diameter, with a car to hold two persons, which, when filled with hydrogen gas, was capable of lifting about a quarter of a ton, and cost a little above 80 pounds. it was not intended that this balloon should go free. it was to be held down by two guy-ropes, each between four and five hundred yards in length, by which, when at the full length of its tether, the balloon was to be hauled about in any direction, pulled down, or allowed to rise in obedience to the wishes of the aeronaut, who was to communicate his orders by means of a system of signals. reports of what he might be thus enabled to discover of the enemy’s position were to be written on slips of paper, put into small sandbags, and tossed overboard. small coloured flags were attached to each bag, so that it might be easily observed in its descent.
after several satisfactory ascents to the height of above 500 feet had taken place—the balloon being held easily by ten men, five to each guy-rope—an order was given, in april 1794, for the formation of a company of military aeronauts—styled aerostiers, to which coutelle was appointed captain-commandant. his company consisted of one lieutenant, one sergeant-major, one sergeant, two corporals, and twenty privates, who wore a dark blue uniform, with black velvet facings, and were armed with pistols and swords.
this new and peculiar company of aerostiers was very soon sent to join the army at maubeuge, and was regarded with some ridicule and contempt by the rest of the army. coutelle, however, took an effectual method of commanding respect. he begged that he and his men might be allowed to take part in a projected sortie. they were permitted, and went; an officer and private were wounded, and the corps behaved with such gallantry that it was from that time treated with becoming respect.
ascents were made daily in the balloon for reconnoitring purposes, and the austrians fired at their audacious and inquisitive enemy both with muskets and cannon, but without effect.
after a time the balloon was ordered to take the road, and join that part of the army which was marching on charleroi. its march through the country in leading-strings was curious to spectators and harassing to the aerostiers. the car, with all its appurtenances, was placed on a cart, over which the balloon was allowed to float at a height sufficient to admit of the passage of cavalry under it. twenty men, marching in single file, held it down by twenty stays; but they had a sad time of it, for their charge was headstrong and restive, jerking and tugging at them continually, not only with its own inherent power of ascension, but with the irregular impetus derived from gusts and squalls of wind, which caused it to make sudden and violent charges against trees, houses, or whatever chanced to come in its way, and sometimes to beat its blunt forehead wildly on the ground as if it had been a monster in despair!
it reached charleroi, however, on the 22nd of june, after a journey of three days, and took part in the battle of fleurus on the 26th. a high wind rendered it necessary, on the day of battle, to fasten its guy-ropes to thirty horses—fifteen to each rope—and, thus secured, it remained in the air eight hours, passing from place to place, and making observations. its services were so highly appreciated by the generals on that occasion that a second balloon was made and sent to the field of action. the first one, which was named l’entreprenant, met with accidents which rendered it necessary that it should be sent to maubeuge for repair; but it afterwards rejoined the army and took part in the battle of aldenhoven, at the capture of bonn, and at the operations before ehrenbreitstein, in all of which it escaped without a wound, although frequently exposed to a furious fire of musketry and shells from the exasperated austrians.
nevertheless, its natural enemy, the wind, did not allow it to escape scatheless, as coutelle shows in one of his letters. he writes thus:
“i received orders to make a reconnaissance of mayence. i accordingly posted myself between our lines and the town, at about half cannon-shot distance. the wind was very high, so, to counteract its effects as far as lay in my power, i ascended alone, with two hundred pounds additional buoyancy. i was at a height of five hundred metres when three successive gusts dashed me to the ground with such violence that several portions of the car were smashed to bits. each time the balloon darted up again with so much force that sixty-four men—thirty-two at each guy-rope—were dragged to some distance. had the guys been made fast to grapnels, as had been suggested to me, they must infallibly have given way.”
notwithstanding this rough treatment, the aerial warrior managed, during a lull in the wind, to count the number of the enemy’s guns.
but the successes of these war-balloons were sadly intermingled with reverses of fortune and harassing difficulties. the aeronauts had, indeed, won the respect and admiration of the army, but this did not compensate for the terribly fatiguing work of holding on, with scarcely a moment’s intermission, to the ropes of the intractable monsters during long and frequent marches. the second balloon at length succeeded in breaking loose, and was so much damaged as to become unserviceable, and the first one was afterwards found riddled with balls—destroyed, it was supposed, by its own men, who had become tired of the hardships to which they were continually subjected. the balloon was repaired, but was taken prisoner at wurtzburg in september 1796, after a short but brilliant, and, it is said, useful career.
after this the war-ballooning fell into disrepute. some attempts have been made in modern times to revive it, but these are not worth mentioning.
