<p>A contemporary photograph shows Lowe in his balloon, ready to rise above the tree line. The basket is painted with red and white vertical stripes, topped by a blue field with two large white stars on each of the four sides. About two dozen men handle four lines from the ground to the balloon, and another six or so observe. In the background are four tents, pitched along the edge of a small grove of trees.
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<p>Lowe is standing, one hand on his hip and the other resting on the basket suspension cordage just above the spreader hoop. The lines under the picture tell us that "...for the next few moments shells and bullets from the shrapnel will be bursting and whistling about his ears."
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<p>The observation balloon proved its value on that frightful day on the Chickahominy, but the lessons learned did not remain long in the hidebound minds of the war's leaders in the field. In spite of continuing successes, the Union observation force never was allowed to operate as planned or promised. After a new commander had arbitrarily cancelled Lowe's contract and reduced his daily pay to $6, Lowe resigned. His assistants asked for other duties. By June 1863, with many major battles of the war yet to come, the balloon corps was disbanded.
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<p>As a measure of its accomplishments, note that Lowe himself made more than 3,000 ascents, spending several hundred hours aloft observing enemy operations. He and his aeronauts made a major and unrecognized contribution to the eventual Union victory.
