PROFESSOR THADDEUS LOWE
THE CIVIL WAR YEARS
Cable Dispatch to Abraham Lincoln from Balloon
On
June 17, in 1861, on the grounds of the Columbia Armory in Washington, the
specially equipped Enterprise ascended on tethers to a height of 500 feet,
carrying Lowe and representatives of the American Telegraph Company. Using
telegraph equipment aboard the ship and cables that ran along one of the rigging
wires to the ground and from there to the War Department and the White House,
Lowe sent the world's first telegraphic transmission from the air:
Balloon
Enterprise,
Washington, June 17, 1861
To the President of the United States
Sir:
This point of observation commands an area nearly fifty miles in diameter. The city, with its girdle of encampments, presents a superb scene. I take great pleasure in sending you this first dispatch ever telegraphed from an aerial station, and in acknowledging my indebtedness to your encouragement for the opportunity of demonstrating the availability of the science of aeronautics in the military service of this country.
yours respectfully,
T.S.C. Lowe
The ingenuity of this demonstration was not lost on the commander in chief. Lowe had firmly cemented his relationship with Lincoln. For the rest of the evening of the 17th, the Enterprise was moored on the South Lawn of the White House, while Lowe remained as a guest in the executive mansion.
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