AHC: 18th century POD provides Washington with airfields to capture

Hint:

"Some claim that the hot air balloon was invented about 74 years earlier by the Brazilian/Portuguese priest Bartolomeu de Gusmão.[11] A description of his invention was published in 1709(?) in Vienna, and another one was found in the Vatican in about 1917.[12] However, this claim is not generally recognized by aviation historians outside the Portuguese-speaking community, in particular the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale."
Maybe a pre Industrial steampunk version of history.
 
Hint:

"Some claim that the hot air balloon was invented about 74 years earlier by the Brazilian/Portuguese priest Bartolomeu de Gusmão.[11] A description of his invention was published in 1709(?) in Vienna, and another one was found in the Vatican in about 1917.[12] However, this claim is not generally recognized by aviation historians outside the Portuguese-speaking community, in particular the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale."

The question is what could be a reliable use of a hot air balloon in war outside of reconnaissance that airfields could be built.
 
The airfield would have everything needed to support the balloon (though it would not be as mobile as one would want): means of hydrogen production, tethers, various colored bags to make sure camouflage is available against the sky, and so forth. Much like a modern airport does.
 
The airfield would have everything needed to support the balloon (though it would not be as mobile as one would want): means of hydrogen production, tethers, various colored bags to make sure camouflage is available against the sky, and so forth. Much like a modern airport does.

The issue would be you do not really need a dedicated airfield for even hydrogen balloons and further a lot of balloons were hot air lofted ones.

Though I suppose had the craze for riding in hot air balloons been started early and taken hold among the American gentry then airfields might in the period refer to such novelty amusements. Characterised by launching platforms built over hot fires the balloons might be tethered in place or possibly even allowed to drift a hopefully short distance before the craft and crew descended back to earth and were recovered.

I suppose you might have seen such outside such places as Boston and Philadelphia where wealth and leisured classes were concentrated.
 
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