General Fitz John Porter was an enthusiastic supporter of the Army of the Potomac's aviation wing: a pair of observation balloons under Professor Thaddeus S. C. Lowe. Lowe taught Porter the essentials of ballooning, and the general learned to make solo ascents. One incident early in the Peninsular Campaign changed all that. A rotted ground line snapped, and Porter drifted toward enemy lines, then Chesapeake Bay, landing safely only after a rather exciting ride. Hearing this, McClellan was alarmed. He quickly resolved never to go up in a balloon himself, or to allow any of his generals to do so ever again. Related McClellan in the Peninsula: Background and Organization McClellan in the Peninsula: The Advance up the Peninsula McClellan in the Peninsula: The Seven Days McClellan in the Peninsula: Conclusions Back to Cry Havoc #12 Table of Contents Back to Cry Havoc List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1995 by David W. Tschanz. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com