Letter from Thaddeus Lowe to Joseph Henry, 1863
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Original correspondence between Thaddeus Lowe and Joseph Henry, first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Henry gave Lowe much support in his quest to use his balloons for Civil War reconnaissance. In 1861 with Henry's aid, Lowe demonstrated the value of his balloon on the site where the National Air and Space Museum now stands. From his vantage point, 152 meters (500 feet) above the ground, he telegraphed a message to President Lincoln thanking him for his encouragement. (Smithsonian Institution)
