Memoirs of Thaddeus S. C. Lowe, Chief of the Aeronautic Corps of the Army of the United States During the Civil War: My Balloons in Peace and War (Studies in American History)

In "Memoirs of Thaddeus S.C. Lowe, Chief of the Aeronautic Corps of the Army of the United States During the Civil War: 'My Balloons in Peace and War'", editors Michael Jaeger and Carol Lauritzen present aeronaut Thaddeus Lowe's unpublished memoir. Their research initially led them to the work as part of a program developing education curricula. When they examined the microfiche of the manuscript at the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian, they found a note from a previous reader in 1959 that said, "This should be published!" (pg. viii). Jaeger and Lauritzen, along with their assistants, carefully checked the microfiche against the original paper document to correct any errors, thereby resurrecting this narrative from the Civil War. Historians of both the Civil War and aviation will find this an invaluable resource that adds a much-needed perspective to the role of technology in the conflagration of 1861-65.