On June 26, 1794, the army of the First Republic of France used a novel military weapon against a coalition of European nations at the Battle of Fleurus — they made the first use of balloons in battle. The balloons were manned with observers to view the battlefield and behind enemy lines. But even though the French won the battle, it is debatable whether the balloons made any difference.
A big snag with balloons is the wind. During the American Civil War, a manned balloon was used by the Union forces during their siege of the Confederate forces at Yorktown in Virginia. On April 11, 1862, the balloon was carrying a Union general to view the enemy positions, but the balloon became untethered from the
