Available instantly

Hardcover
$21.45

$11.99 with 60 percent savings

Print List Price: $29.95

Promotions apply when you purchase

Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

There was an error. We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

Image Unavailable

Image not available for
Color:

To view this video download Flash Player

Thirteen Months in Dixie, or, the Adventures of a Federal Prisoner in Texas: Including the Red River Campaign, Imprisonment at Camp Ford, and Escape Overland to Liberated Shreveport, 1864-1865 Kindle Edition

by W. F. Oscar Federhen (Author), Jeaninne Surette Honstein (Editor), Steven A. Knowlton (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition

27 ratings

See all formats and editions

A Union soldier recounts his capture and daring escape from a Texas POW camp in this rollicking Civil War memoir.

Oscar Federhen was a new recruit to the Union Army when he deployed to Louisiana as part of the Red River Campaign. Captured soon after his arrival at the front, Federhen was marched to Tyler, Texas, where he was held at Camp Ford, the largest POW camp west of the Mississippi.

The captured artillerist tried escaping several times, facing sadistic guards and vicious hounds, until he finally succeeded. Making his way through northeast Texas to reach Union lines, Federhen had to dodge regular Confederates, brigands, and even Comanches in his effort to get home. He rode for a time with Rebel irregular cavalry, during which he witnessed robberies and even cold-blooded murder. When he was recaptured and thought to be a potential deserter, he escaped yet again and continued his bid for freedom.

Federhen wrote this lively memoir shortly after the war, but it remained unpublished until Jeaninne Surette Honstein and Steven Knowlton carefully transcribed and annotated his manuscript. With numerous illustrations, including two by Federhen himself, Thirteen Months in Dixie is a gripping true story and a valuable primary source about the lives of Civil War prisoners and everyday Texans during the conflict.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Mark Twain, writing through his character Tom Sawyer, insisted that the difference between mere escape and evasion was the art of the effort. W. F. Oscar Federhen’s postwar narrative shows that prisoners also thought a great deal about the style of outsmarting their enemies and evading recapture even if that meant—for a time—becoming one of them. Thirteen Months in Dixie offers a rare, and much needed, example of how prisoners remembered and imagined captivity and escape west of the Mississippi River.”
Evan Kutzler, Associate Professor of History and Political Science, Georgia Southwestern State University and author of Living by Inches

“A remarkable prisoner-of-war account that offers a vivid picture of Louisiana and Texas during the war’s final year. And a captivating story as well!”
Aaron Sheehan-Dean, Fred C. Frey Professor of History, Louisiana State University and author of The Calculus of Violence

“Thirteen Months in Dixie offers readers quite an exciting account, and they must marvel that Federhen was able to survive so many incredible hardships and still live to the age of eighty-eight. Those who enjoy reading first-hand accounts written by Civil War prisoners of war will find much to enjoy in this book.”
The Journal of America’s Military Past

“The vivid reminiscences of Union soldier W. F. Oscar Federhen are an excellent addition to understanding the north Texas home front during the Civil War. These Trans-Mississippi adventures of an escaped prisoner of war are both informative and entertaining. Federhen’s notable exploits are worthy of close inspection.”
Henry O. Robertson, Associate Professor of History, Louisiana Christian University and author of The Red River Campaign and Its Toll

“Oscar Federhen served just over a year in the Union army, but spent much of it, according to him, imprisoned, trying to escape, or joining Confederate guerillas marauding through Texas and Louisiana. His narrative of these experiences, though of questionable veracity, is gripping and at times, brutally unsettling. Editors Jeaninne S. Honstein and Steven A. Knowlton bolster Federhen’s stories with helpful annotations, an extensive bibliography, and informative introductory material. There are also useful maps and Federhen’s own drawings. It’s a fascinating, if at times very troubling, account of the final days of civil war.”
Lesley J. Gordon, Professor and Charles G. Summersell Chair of Southern History, University of Alabama and co-author of This Terrible War

“Oscar Federhen experienced most of his service in the Union army on the run as an escaped POW making his way from a Texas prison camp to Union lines in Louisiana. His adventures before finally reaching Union lines make for one of the most gripping stories of a prisoner escape that I have ever read.”
James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom

“…this is a very special and unique American Civil War memoir.”
Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Jeaninne Honstein is a conceptual artist based in Princeton, New Jersey. Her paintings, sculpture, photography, and writing are influenced by her perception of history and antiquities. She is pleased to bring the story of her ancestor William Francis Oscar Federhen to the attention of the reading public for the first time.

Steven A. Knowlton is Librarian for History and African American Studies at Princeton University. His historical research has been published in many peer-reviewed journals. He is the recipient of the William Driver Award from the North American Vexillological Association and the Marshall Wingfield Award from the West Tennessee Historical Society, and has won the Justin Winsor Library History Essay Award twice. This is his first book.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B8B1PWBZ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Savas Beatie (August 15, 2022)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 15, 2022
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 23.1 MB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 193 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,132,456 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #425 in History of the U.S. Confederacy
- #1,864 in American Civil War Biographies (Books)
- #3,216 in Military & Spies Biographies

Customer Reviews:
27 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

Customer reviews

27 global ratings

5 star
74%
4 star
19%
3 star
7%
2 star
0%
1 star
0%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Review this product

Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers praise the book's contextual information, with one noting how the footnotes enhance the story. Moreover, they find it fun to read and appreciate its gripping narrative. Additionally, the language quality receives positive feedback, with one customer highlighting the authenticity of the writing style.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

Context Readability Storyteller Language quality

10 customers mention "Context"10 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the contextual information provided in the book, finding it absolutely fascinating, with one customer noting how the footnotes add significantly to the story.

"...The editors have done an amazing job corroborating the geography, history and personalities described in the book...." Read more

"...The editors did a wonderful job providing contextual information (including maps, sketches, definitions, and images) that make the text accessible..." Read more

"...This reader appreciated the copious research that attests to the veracity of most of the story, which makes it all the more remarkable...." Read more

"...They can be explanations of period word usage, geographical or cultural clarifications, jumping-off points for further reading...." Read more

8 customers mention "Readability"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book compelling and fun to read.

"...Great stuff!" Read more

"What a compelling, page-turning story! This heretofore unpublished firsthand account of a Union soldier on the run jumps off the page...." Read more

"...Otherwise, this was a terrific read." Read more

"...So what. It’s an interesting story, fun to read, quick and easy and gives insight into that period of time in the words and dialect of someone..." Read more

7 customers mention "Storyteller"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's storytelling remarkable, describing it as a gripping tale, with one customer noting it provides insight into that period of time.

"...But Federhen was quite a story teller, and the modern editors provide the supplemental information to give the tale credence. Great stuff!" Read more

"What a compelling, page-turning story! This heretofore unpublished firsthand account of a Union soldier on the run jumps off the page...." Read more

"...Oscar Federhen had a remarkable story to tell, and he shares it with considerable flare and the artfulness of an accomplished writer, though one is..." Read more

"...an interesting story, fun to read, quick and easy and gives insight into that period of time in the words and dialect of someone from that period...." Read more

3 customers mention "Language quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the language of the book, with one noting its authenticity and another praising the author's artfulness.

"...tell, and he shares it with considerable flare and the artfulness of an accomplished writer, though one is left to assume this is his sole magnum..." Read more

"...But we can’t overlook the fact that Federhen himself is a compelling writer...." Read more

"Feel transported in time reading this journal, love the authenticity of the language...." Read more

Reviews with images

See all photos

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.

JTKCFP
How many times does this guy escape from the Secessionist army??
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2022
Verified Purchase

You have to read the book to find out; I'm not going to spoil it for you! But this is a gripping tale that you won't want to miss. The editors have done an amazing job corroborating the geography, history and personalities described in the book. When I hear "original source document" I think of something boring or tedious. But Federhen was quite a story teller, and the modern editors provide the supplemental information to give the tale credence. Great stuff!

Read more

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Report
rachel scott
Rich Context for a Compelling Tale
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2022
Verified Purchase
What a compelling, page-turning story! This heretofore unpublished firsthand account of a Union soldier on the run jumps off the page. Federhen’s own language is preserved in this text, which transported me in time and place. The editors did a wonderful job providing contextual information (including maps, sketches, definitions, and images) that make the text accessible to those of us who are not Civil War historians. Did Federhen accurately document every event? No, but that’s not the point. He tells a gripping story based on his experience. The editors help readers contextualize the reported events in history. I spent a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon with this text (via Kindle) and highly recommend it!

Read more

rachel scott

Rich Context for a Compelling Tale

Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2022
What a compelling, page-turning story! This heretofore unpublished firsthand account of a Union soldier on the run jumps off the page. Federhen’s own language is preserved in this text, which transported me in time and place. The editors did a wonderful job providing contextual information (including maps, sketches, definitions, and images) that make the text accessible to those of us who are not Civil War historians. Did Federhen accurately document every event? No, but that’s not the point. He tells a gripping story based on his experience. The editors help readers contextualize the reported events in history. I spent a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon with this text (via Kindle) and highly recommend it!

Images in this review

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Frank C. Strasburger
A Real Page-turner
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2022
Verified Purchase
It’s rare to read primary source material from the Civil War that is so thoroughly literate. Oscar Federhen had a remarkable story to tell, and he shares it with considerable flare and the artfulness of an accomplished writer, though one is left to assume this is his sole magnum opus. This reader appreciated the copious research that attests to the veracity of most of the story, which makes it all the more remarkable. The conditions of Federhen’s frequently alternating imprisonment and flight clearly made contemporaneous journaling impossible, yet the author’s memory for detail contributes to his tale’s authenticity. Above all, a story that might in other hands have seemed repetitive and endless in Federhen’s becomes an edge-of-your-seat adventure. The author’s wry sense of humor and understated portrayal of himself leave the reader with a real sense of his humanity—both his strengths and his weaknesses—ands it’s impossible not to admire his courage and tenacity as well as his obvious likability. That this extraordinary manuscript might well have been lost to the ages but for the realization by his step-great-granddaughter that she had a real gem on her hands is a stroke of good fortune, and we can be grateful that Jeannine Honstein and Stephen Knowlton did such an intelligent and thoughtful job of bringing this work to publication. One small quibble: I found the odd typeface distracting. Otherwise, this was a terrific read.

Read more

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Stevan Trooboff
Fun easy read, somewhere between historical fiction and fact
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2022
Verified Purchase
This book is the diary of a Federal (Union) soldier captured by the Confederate Army and held prisoner multiple times. He escaped, survived, and lived to a ripe old age. His diary is annotated in footnotes and suggested that some parts of the diary can’t possibly be accurate. So what. It’s an interesting story, fun to read, quick and easy and gives insight into that period of time in the words and dialect of someone from that period. If you have any interest in the Civil War, and/or that period, or are simply looking for a fun “beach read” you’ll find this interesting. I think of this as historical fiction, the details are less important than the overall picture painted. Definitely worth the time to buy and read.

Read more

Helpful

Report
Chysn
Compelling Reading
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2022
Verified Purchase
Thirteen Months in Dixie is a sort of two-for-one deal. The original narrative is a first-hand account of the experiences of one Oscar Federhen, a Union soldier trapped behind enemy lines. This account is enhanced by the exhaustive work of the editors, who deliver various types of fascinating commentary using footnotes.

These footnotes add consistently-interesting color to the story. They can be explanations of period word usage, geographical or cultural clarifications, jumping-off points for further reading. In many cases, the footnotes contradict Federhen’s account, explaining that he couldn’t have been someplace, or have met some person. The editors don’t usually judge whether Federhen is exaggerating, misremembering, or simply in error. They just provide the well-researched facts.

But we can’t overlook the fact that Federhen himself is a compelling writer. He may or may not be a reliable narrator, with his escapes becoming increasingly unlikely. He’s in and out of Confederate hands, pals around with terrorists, wrestles with his own conscience. It’s a tale Kerouac would be proud of.

Note that this journey is not for the squeamish. The horrors of war—disease, torture, suffering—are vividly laid out, as perpetrated both against and by the protagonist. It’s too comforting to think that perhaps this stuff didn’t happen, that our friend is simply the 1860s David Cronenberg. Unfortunately, the editors never raise a skeptical footnote to save us from the revelations of man’s brutality to man.

Read more

Helpful

Report
Christopher J. Army
Fascinating story!
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2022
Verified Purchase
First-hand accounts from the Civil War range from ho-hum to absolutely fascinating! This one fits the bill as a fascinating story of one man’s experience of the war! Great additions/clarifications by the editors!

Read more

Helpful

Report
Kindle Customer
Great read
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024
Verified Purchase
First rate account written in first person of a genuine Union prisoner multiple escape attempts and desperate adventures in the Texas wilderness.

Read more

Helpful

Report
S
Enjoyable Read
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2022
Verified Purchase
Feel transported in time reading this journal, love the authenticity of the language.
Footnotes are helpful and interesting and complement the story well.

Read more

Helpful

Report