GALVESTON HISTORICAL FOUNDATION TO HOST LECTURE ON “THE GENERAL BEHIND JUNETEENTH” SUNDAY, JUNE 17
Galveston Island, Texas – 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 the Menard Campus, 3302 Avenue O, on Sunday, June 17, at 2 p.m. The price for the lecture is $12 for non-members and $10 for GHF members. 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, General 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, General Granger's June 19 order was actually 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 prize-winning 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 Saturday 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 12 p.m- 4 p.m. July 7 and August 4. Admission is $7 per person.
For more information on the Menard Summer Lecture Series at Menard Hall or public tours of the 1838 Menard House, call Jami Durham at (409)765-3409 or e mail Jami.Durham@galvestonhistory.org.