Confederate Observation Balloons

Both Union and Confederate forces experimented with balloons to observe enemy positions. Confederate efforts lacked the specialised organisation and resources available to the Union Army Balloon Corps but still produced several ascents around Richmond and the Peninsula.

One balloon became popularly known as the “silk dress balloon” because accounts described its coloured silk fabric as material resembling or obtained from dress silk. Later retellings often exaggerated the number of donated dresses and simplified the technical history.

The Last Silk Dress builds its plot around a girl collecting silk from Richmond women for a Confederate balloon. The project exposes family secrets and forces her to confront the relationship between patriotic enthusiasm, slavery and civilian sacrifice.