Flat Hexagonal & Barn Door Kites — The 1860s

by Walt Mathers
(Chesapeake Bay Country, USA)

Both the US and CS army signal corps experimented with lantern signals suspended from kites. Kites were also used to offer a searching party the means to identify an established signal station.

Both naval and military communication researchers, along with 1860's period-attired re-enactors, would be interested in knowing if flat hexagonal, 'barn-door' and/or other type kites might have been used for such operations and would also wish to know if either contending armies would have purchased large numbers of these kites, not only for the military but also, for naval stores when vessels would have been beyond normal visual communication being obscured by tree-lined river bends.

Any help you could offer would be appreciated here and aloft at our discussion forum:

civilwarsignals.org

(T.P. This is not your usual kite story, but it's fascinating to imagine how kites might have been used by the military, back in that by-gone era. I'll highlight this contribution as especially worthy of a comment, if you're reading this and know anything at all about the topic. Plus, consider dropping into that discussion forum. Somebody help Walt out, if you can.)