UNSUNG HEROES
The Cuban Who Loved Freedom
It’s all about standing tall as a world citizen
Until just recently, I have never heard of Federico Fernandez Cavada. Cavada’s story is so amazing it deserves a movie or one of those episodic television shows people binge watch. It at least is worthy of some of us passing the word about him and his life.
Cavada was Cuban. He became a member of the Union Army in the United States during the Civil War. Most importantly, Cavada was a member of the army’s little known and quite innovative balloon corps. The balloon corps was, to a certain degree, before its time.
The unit flew reconnassance missions during the war and was used for intelligence purposes. It began in 1861 and both the Union and the Confederate armies used the technology. Federico Cavada had a civil engineering background and was perfect for serving in the corps.
Cavada was “born to Isidoro Fernández Cavada and Emily Gatier in Cienfuegos, Cuba, on July 8, 1831.” His father died when he was young so his mother moved the family back to Philadelphia, her hometown. Federico studied engineering in high school and became an engineer. He then worked on the building of the Panama Railroad as a result of his training.