Abstract:
Lieutenant-Colonel Federico Fernandez Cavada was born in Cienfuegos, Cuba. After moving to the United States, he resided in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the beginning of America’s Civil War, he pledged his loyalties to the Union. He eventually became the highest ranking Hispanic officer to serve in the Union army. On July 2, 1863, he was captured at the Battle of Gettysburg, and sent to Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia. Over his nine months of imprisonment, Cavada gives a vivid description of Libby Life. Cavada describes his experiences with a touch of humor, others with dismay. Included in Libby Life is Cavada’s detailed sketches of prison life.