I am doing a lecture on Juneteenth and General Gordon Granger for the Galveston Historical Foundation on Sunday, June 17 at 2:00. Details are in the following newspper article.
GHF to host ‘The General Behind Juneteenth’ talk
By Will Wright
Special to The Daily News
Published June 10, 2012
GALVESTON — It has become one of the most important symbols of the end of the Civil War and the coming of emancipation. But what do we really know about the events that shaped it? Noted historian Edward T. Cotham Jr. will present his talk on the origin of Juneteenth at 2 p.m. June 17 at the Menard Campus, 3302 Ave. O.
The price for the lecture is $10 for Galveston Historical Foundation members and $12 for nonmembers. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 409-765-3409. It is part of an ongoing series of Civil War lectures from June through August at the Menard Campus.
On June 19, 1865, Gen. Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 from his headquarters in Galveston. Granger’s order confirmed that the Emancipation Proclamation was in effect in Texas. Celebrated today as the origin of the Juneteenth festivities, Granger’s June 19 order was the result of a long chain of political and military events involving the battles and leaders of the Civil War.
Edward T. Cotham Jr. is the prizewinning author of many books and articles on Civil War history, emphasizing the battles and skirmishes in Texas. A frequent lecturer on these subjects, Cotham also leads occasional tours of Texas battlefields and state historic sites.
His published works include “Battle on the Bay: the Civil War Struggle for Galveston” (University of Texas Press, 1998), “Sabine Pass: the Confederacy’s Thermopylae” (University of Texas Press, 2004) and “The Southern Journey of a Civil War Marine: The Illustrated Note-Book of Henry O. Gusley” (University of Texas Press, 2006). Cotham wrote a chapter on federal naval strategy and Texas in “The Seventh Star of the Confederacy: Texas during the Civil War” (University of North Texas Press, 2009). This book was the winner of the Fort Worth Civil War Round Table’s A.M. Pate Jr. Award for excellence in research and writing on the Civil War in the trans-Mississippi.
In addition to the summer lecture series, the historic Menard House will be open for tours the first Saturdays in June, July and August. Built in 1838 by John and Augustus Allen for the founder of Galveston, Michel Branamour Menard, it is the oldest surviving residential dwelling in Galveston and the only structure to be owned by the founders of both Galveston and Houston. Tours will be available from noon to 4 p.m. July 7 and Aug. 4. Admission is $7 per person.
For information, contact Jami Durham, 409-765-3409 or jami.durham(at)galvestonhistory.org.