379:
308:
29:
436:
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process. This culminated in a series of ascensions, viewed by leading figures on the
Committee, who passed an Act creating the Aerostatic Corps on 2 April 1794. The corps consisted of a captain and a lieutenant, a sergeant-major and sergeant, two corporals and twenty privates. All these men were
400:. Coutelle was recalled in order to head the new company, Lhomond being promoted to captain of the first company, while Conté remained at Meudon. In October, he was made head of a new school of ballooning, where replacement soldiers for the two companies were trained.
327:, then extracting hydrogen. The first military use of the balloon was on 2 June, when it was used for reconnaissance during an enemy bombardment. On 22 June, the corps received orders to move the balloon to the plain of Fleurus, in front of the Austrian troops at
454:, which was now led by Jourdan. They were not directly involved in any action, but Jourdan appears to have warmed to the balloonists, printing official correspondence forms depicting a balloon above his army. In September 1796, they were at the
485:, and petitioned for the reinstatement of Coutelle as their commander. This was permitted; Coutelle was made a colonel, while Lhomond was promoted to major and permitted to remain second-in-command. In 1798, the company joined the
473:
Following this disaster, the second company was attached to the reconstructed Army of Sambre-et-Meuse. Coutelle withdrew to Meudon, overcome by fever, and new commander
Delaunay was unable to work with the new General,
331:. This was achieved by twenty soldiers who dragged the inflated balloon across thirty miles of ground. For the three following days, an officer ascended to make further observations. On 26 June, the
354:, a cylindrical balloon, which was supplied to the corps soon after the battle, but it proved too unstable for use. The corps followed the Army of the North into Belgium and was present at battles in
500:
passed an act disbanding the balloon corps. The second company was immediately disbanded, but the first was still in action in Egypt and remained in existence until its return to France in 1802.
625:
350:, who had been present throughout the battle, strongly supported it, but Jourdan believed that it had contributed little. Guyton had already supervised the construction at Meudon of the
635:
231:, which was in short supply, were successful, producing more than 20 cubic metres. As a result, the Committee determined to use this technique to float tethered balloons.
630:
239:
129:
493:, and the company was assigned to other duties. They were able to conduct a few demonstrations of more basic balloons for entertainment purposes.
386:
On 23 June, an Act creating a second aerostatic company had been passed, to be trained at Meudon by Conté. It was provided with two new balloons,
339:
took notes on the movements of the
Austrian Army, dropping them to the ground for collection by the French Army, and also signalled messages using
262:, which informed them that "Citizen Coutelle is not a charlatan". However, on arrival, Jourdan ridiculed the project, ordering Coutelle back to
259:
412:
363:
645:
640:
274:
Back in Paris, the
Committee of Public Safety ordered further tests on the balloon technology, to be conducted at the
489:. On arrival, they decided to initially leave the ballooning equipment on their ship. This was destroyed in the
347:
615:
486:
466:
295:. The Act creating the corps envisaged three roles: reconnaissance, signalling and the distribution of
243:
235:
212:
124:
266:, with the message that an Austrian attack was imminent, and a battalion was required, not a balloon.
208:
332:
92:
362:, although they did not see action. With winter approaching, they constructed a balloon depot at
346:
The French won the Battle of
Fleurus, but reports of the usefulness of the balloon corps varied.
279:
451:
458:
when the French Army was defeated, and the entire company was taken captive with its balloon
255:
141:
455:
102:
8:
620:
283:
490:
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was fought, and the balloon remained afloat for nine hours, during which
Coutelle and
397:
275:
460:
392:
155:
497:
482:
404:
176:
97:
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led the research, refining balloon shapes and materials, and also improving the
336:
228:
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66:
609:
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28:
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designs proved unsatisfactory. However, experiments conducted near the
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481:
The first company were released in April 1797, under the terms of the
207:
Numerous suggestions had been made for the use of balloons during the
416:
340:
328:
292:
288:
220:
598:
Science and Polity in France: The
Revolutionary and Napoleonic Years
408:
359:
316:
224:
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367:
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Meanwhile, in 1795, the first company was transferred to the
415:, then followed the Army north and conducted observations at
263:
183:) was the world's first balloon unit, founded in 1794 to use
626:
French military units and formations of the
Napoleonic Wars
382:
Observations by the second company at the Battle of Mainz
299:. Coutelle was created captain, and Lhomond lieutenant.
287:
required to have skills relevant to ballooning, such as
278:, where the Aerostatic Development Centre was founded.
223:
from
September to October 1793 to produce the required
315:
In May 1794, the new corps joined
Jourdan's troops at
478:, who refused to let them participate in any action.
250:
to acquire equipment. They were given a letter from
33:
Aerostatic Corps balloon during the Battle of Fleurus
636:
Military units and formations disestablished in 1799
631:Military units and formations established in 1794
215:began testing their potential. Initial tests of
607:
407:, and were also active during the evacuation of
16:French air reconnaissance unit in Napoleonic War
403:The second company conducted ascensions at the
562:Military Ballooning During the Early Civil War
411:. For the winter, they established a base at
311:The corps transporting the balloon to Fleurus.
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396:, and in March 1795 it was attached to the
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260:Ernest Dominique François Joseph Duquesnoy
27:
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234:At the end of October 1793, chemist
13:
520:First, Lasts & Onlys: Military
194:
14:
657:
464:, which is now on display at the
373:
646:1799 disestablishments in France
323:. They began by constructing a
238:and his assistant, the engineer
348:Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau
509:
1:
641:1794 establishments in France
503:
596:Charles Coulston Gillispie,
487:Napoleonic Campaign in Egypt
467:Heeresgeschichtliches Museum
444:Heeresgeschichtliches Museum
269:
76:Two companies of 26 soldiers
7:
254:commending them to General
10:
662:
236:Jean-Marie-Joseph Coutelle
213:Committee of Public Safety
125:Jean-Marie-Joseph Coutelle
209:French Revolutionary Wars
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118:
113:
88:
80:
72:
62:
54:
46:
38:
26:
21:
496:On 15 January 1799, the
319:, bringing one balloon:
242:, were sent to join the
452:Army of Sambre-et-Meuse
169:French Aerostatic Corps
22:French Aerostatic Corps
447:
431:Decline and disbanding
383:
312:
204:
181:compagnie d'aérostiers
180:
84:Blue with a black trim
560:F. Stansbury Haydon,
438:
381:
310:
280:Nicolas-Jacques Conté
256:Jean-Baptiste Jourdan
202:
173:Company of Aeronauts
616:History of aviation
284:hydrogen production
258:and representative
227:without the use of
518:and Ian Harrison,
491:Battle of the Nile
456:Battle of Würzburg
448:
442:on display at the
384:
313:
211:, and in 1793 the
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108:Battle of the Nile
103:Battle of Würzburg
398:Army of the Rhine
333:Battle of Fleurus
303:Battle of Fleurus
276:Chateau de Meudon
244:Army of the North
203:Coutelle in 1794.
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161:
93:Battle of Fleurus
58:Balloon engineers
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601:
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483:Treaty of Leoben
187:, primarily for
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405:Battle of Mainz
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240:Nicolas Lhomond
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195:Experimentation
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130:Nicolas Lhomond
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106:
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98:Battle of Mainz
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42:1794–1799
34:
17:
12:
11:
5:
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374:Second company
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337:Antoine Morlot
321:L'Entreprenant
304:
301:
271:
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246:, with 50,000
229:sulphuric acid
196:
193:
189:reconnaissance
163:
160:
159:
147:L'Entreprenant
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142:Reconnaissance
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137:
136:Aircraft flown
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132:
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116:
115:
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90:
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67:Reconnaissance
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24:
23:
15:
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600:, pp. 372-373
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516:Jeremy Beadle
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252:Lazare Carnot
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164:Military unit
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476:Lazare Hoche
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172:
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470:in Vienna.
461:L'Intrépide
440:L'Intrépide
393:L'Intrépide
156:L'Intrépide
89:Engagements
621:Ballooning
610:Categories
504:References
425:Donauwörth
297:propaganda
121:commanders
114:Commanders
564:, pp.5-15
498:Directory
417:Stuttgart
413:Frankheim
341:semaphore
329:Charleroi
293:carpentry
289:chemistry
270:Formation
221:Tuileries
409:Mannheim
364:Borcette
360:Brussels
317:Maubeuge
225:hydrogen
185:balloons
522:, p. 42
421:Rastatt
388:Hercule
352:Martial
325:furnace
217:airship
151:Hercule
119:Notable
47:Country
368:Aachen
177:French
81:Colors
50:France
39:Active
366:near
356:Liege
264:Paris
248:livre
423:and
390:and
358:and
167:The
73:Size
63:Role
55:Type
291:or
171:or
612::
569:^
527:^
427:.
419:,
370:.
343:.
191:.
179::
153:,
149:,
446:.
175:(
127:,
105:,
100:,
95:,
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