 From September 1861 through August 1863, Fort Corcoran served as the official headquarters for the Union Army Balloon Corps, commanded by Thaddeus S. C. Lowe, who had been appointed to the position by President Lincoln.A civilian organization, the Balloon Corps performed limited aerial observation duties for the Army of the Potomac.In late July 1861, Lowe inflated a balloon in Washington with hopes of providing aerial coverage for the impending Battle of Bull Run, but a violent storm buffeted the inflated balloon and delayed Lowe until word of the Union defeat reached him on the road.