New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-08-04
AftertIle Yankee Balloon.

By an Elk Rebel.
A matter which greatly exercised the
confederates during the early part of
the war was the use of balloons by
the Federals to spy out our position.
At Yorktown, where almost daily as
tensions were made, our camps, bat
teries, field works and all defenses were
| plain to the vision of the occupants of
the balloon, and it was also quite easy
to from q reliable estimate of. our
numbers.
These balloon ascensions excited us
more than all the outpost attacks, and
it was officially determined to put
stop to them at whatever cost. The
longest range rifles in the South were
| sent LOT, and they were put into the
hands OF Confederates noted for their
Workmanship, but, although the bal
loon seemed to be within easy. range,
1T was too far away for any rifle to
do, execution from; our outpests.
Light artillery was then brought into
play, using both shot and SHE'LL but
! somehow the target could not be
struck. We finally opened upon it
with any and every piece OF ordnance
which could be brought to bear, but
while we threw shot far beyond it,
and apparently close to it, we could
not even brighten the men in the bask-
et.. Between our outposts and those
of;the Federals was half a mile OF neu-
trail territory. One dark night tflir-
ty-tive Confederate sharpshooters,
each armed with the heaviest rifles
known to our Southern hunters, were
sent out to creep as far across, this
neutral ground as possible, find hiding
places, and to open on the balloon
next morning. The result was disas-
trous to us. Ten ofthe men were cap
tured before the balloon assembled,
and the rest OF us had hardly opened
tire when heavy force hunted us out
and killed or captured all but six.
| Rewards were then offered for the
destruction of the balloon in the Fed
eral camp, and | was one of five who
undertook the task. Iwas promised
$1,000 in gold and a, commission, as
second-lieutenant i'll succeeded, andiI
presume the same promise was made
to the others. We left separately and
by different routes, each one being told
to make arrangements to suit himself
l was nearly thirtysix hours getting
IN rear OF the Federal army, and when
| entered the camps,it was as ped
dler OF tobacco and; notions, who.
would have been in the ranks but for
his lameness. 1t was nearly week al
ter l lett the Confederate camp before
l reached the vicinity where Lowe
made his ascensions, and. it was then
to discover that the greatest precau-
tlons were taken to guard Against what
1had been sent to effect. Sentinels were
stationed about the, place in such
numbers that it was, useless to hope
that might pass. them, and what
made the matter worse was the fact
that two OF our spies had been cap.
tured and held on suspicion. Nothing
but fire would answer oar purpose
Rents could be mended and holes
patched, and while it was likely thao
a balloon could be madein couple OF
weeks, the interval would permit the
Confederates to make many changes.
On the day that Fitz John Porter
made his ascension and the rope broke
and let the balloon float away. was
within rifle shot of the spot OF ascen-
sion. AS he f1oated away over our
camp it seemed as if accident had
i sealed the fate of the balloon and Civ
en- us a distinguished prisoner, but g.
chang OF wind occurred and back came
the air ship to drop,to the ground al
most at my feet. l was one of the IF
teen or twenty men who seized the
basket and held it to the earth while
Porter stepped out. Ihad matches, and
l had only to strike a. light to destroy
the balloon at a flash. [ meant to
take every risk, but as 1 drew match
from my pocket having a, filled pipe
already in my mouth as an excuse, a
big sergeant who stood beside me
seized me by the neck flung me several
feet away on my back and shouted at
ME:
"You Internal idiot! but do you
want to fire the balloon?"
did, but he had deprived me ofthe
opportunity. Some OF the men laugh
ed. Some said [ ought to be kicked
out OF camp, and prudence whispered
to me to take myself off while | had
the chance. Only two of us out of the
five got back to our regiments. What
! became OF the others was a mystery
we were never able to clear up Other
plans to destroy the balloon were
projected, but it made only two or
three more ascensions. The trouble
OF initiating and caring for it, added to
the peril OF those who assembled, in
duced the military authorities to
abandon the terprise.--Detroit
Tree Press.
The Servant Girl Problem.