Ships and balloons

Observation balloon

The eyes of Caxias over the trenches.

Observation balloon
Tethered balloon over the Tuyutí camp, 1867. Reconstruction.
Operators
James and Ezra Allen, American aeronauts
Dates
June to September 1867
Gas
Hydrogen, produced in the camp
Tether
Ropes held by soldiers
Altitude
230 to 330 m

In 1867, the Marquis of Caxias hired the Allen brothers, veterans of the balloon service in the American Civil War. From Tuyutí, the balloon rose over the trenches: on 8 July, the observers counted more than a hundred Paraguayan guns and sketched the lines as far as Curupayty and Humaitá. The Paraguayans responded by burning grass to hide their positions in smoke. It was the first documented military use of balloons in South America.

‡ Disputed.Date of the first ascent: 24 June 1867, according to most sources. Number of ascents: about twenty.

Sources: Eloy Martin, “La primera ascensión aeromilitar en Sudamérica”, CEFA (2011); Defesa Aérea & Naval; Francisco Doratioto, Maldita guerra.

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