It’s hard to believe that before President Biden signed a bill declaring Juneteenth a federal holiday last year, the United States did not officially commemorate the end of chattel slavery in 1865.
Off topic: Kevin, I'm sure it's not news to you that for hours now twitter has been showing your account (@KevinLevin) as an account that does not exit.
I guess you'll post updates here in case you end up temporarily migrating to a new platform or account?
I see. I guess you’ll tell us more when you’re ready.
I started reading your blog regularly nearly a decade ago, and continued following you on twitter. I’ve learned a great deal from you and your commenters over the years.
I look forward to hearing about your future plans for engaging with your readers.
I so appreciate this comment. Let me reassure you that I am not going anywhere. It's simply a matter of trying to figure out how best to use my time. I will share more about my decision in due time. Thanks again.
Heartbreaking truth. Lived and taught in Texas for fifteen years, hate what it has become. I like this list, tho number two, “Granger and his troops traveled to Galveston, Texas to announce General Orders No. 3 on June 19, 1865” has me curious - was that their purpose, to announce it in Galveston? More digging required ;-)
Now Galveston makes sense: “On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee had surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant of the U.S. Army, but it was not until June 2 that General Edmund Kirby Smith surrendered the Confederacy’s Trans-Mississippi Department, the last major army of the Confederacy, to the United States, in Galveston, Texas.” https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/june-19-2022?r=5hbsd&s=r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
My recollection is that the Emancipation Proclamation was proclaimed and took effect in New Orleans on New Year's Day when Nathaniel Banks officially took command of the Army of the Gulf and relieved Benjamin Butler. New Orleans had fallen to and been occupied by Union forces some months earlier in 1862. Galveston had also been occupied by Union forces in 1862, but on New Year's Day, 1863, Confederate forces attacked and drove out the Union occupiers. Is it a mistake to assume that the Emancipation would have been proclaimed in Texas on that day if Union forces had not been attacked and forced into a hasty retreat? Banks later tried to retake Galveston but was repulsed. My great great grandfather traveled with his unit, the 27th Wisconsin, departing from Mobile on a ship called the Clinton on June 1 and arriving at Boca Chica on the island of Brazos Santiago at the mouth of the Rio Grande on the 7th of June, 1865. He disembarked and was promptly hospitalized with what appears to have been yellow fever. He was evacuated before his unit marched on Brownsville about a week later and arrived at Jefferson Barracks Hospital in St. Louis before the end of June. He died and was buried there a month later. A large contingent of Union forces, perhaps as many as fifty thousand troops, marched on Brownsville from Brazos Santiago in early June with no resistance beyond the Battle of Palmetto Ranch in the last week of May, so occupied Brownsville became a Union army mustering out station for most of July and August. Soldiers in the 27th Wisconsin did report frequent sightings of soldiers in French uniforms actively drilling on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, presumably part of Maximilian's army there to ensure proper handling of any contraband cotton Union troops might have discovered in Brownsville warehouses. Many of the Union troops mustering out in Brownsville that summer had been part of the substantial force assembled to reduce by siege the last two forts defending and preventing the capitulation of Mobile in March and April of 1865.
Thank you, Craig. So much of what I was reading just said that Granger was there, and I wanted to know why. As a Virginian who grew up near Brandy Station, I’m woefully ignorant about the Western Theater.
“such fullness of joy” Wonderful thought. I hope when you finish writing your Shaw biography, you will write an honest accounting of how it all came about.
I think Benito Juarez was the first to realize the significance of Juneteenth and Edouard Manet was the first to immortalize the event as the basis for a transnational holiday with his painting The Execution of Emperor Maximilian Mexico 1867.
Off topic: Kevin, I'm sure it's not news to you that for hours now twitter has been showing your account (@KevinLevin) as an account that does not exit.
I guess you'll post updates here in case you end up temporarily migrating to a new platform or account?
Thanks.
I deactivated the account this morning.
I see. I guess you’ll tell us more when you’re ready.
I started reading your blog regularly nearly a decade ago, and continued following you on twitter. I’ve learned a great deal from you and your commenters over the years.
I look forward to hearing about your future plans for engaging with your readers.
Cheers,
chancery
I so appreciate this comment. Let me reassure you that I am not going anywhere. It's simply a matter of trying to figure out how best to use my time. I will share more about my decision in due time. Thanks again.
Happy Juneteenth! Andy Hall's website, Dead Confederates, has a bunch of interesting materials on Juneteenth and Granger in Galveston.
Thanks to Texas Republicans, it's probably illegal for Texas history teachers to explain the holiday in class.
Heartbreaking truth. Lived and taught in Texas for fifteen years, hate what it has become. I like this list, tho number two, “Granger and his troops traveled to Galveston, Texas to announce General Orders No. 3 on June 19, 1865” has me curious - was that their purpose, to announce it in Galveston? More digging required ;-)
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/10-facts-juneteenth
Now Galveston makes sense: “On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee had surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant of the U.S. Army, but it was not until June 2 that General Edmund Kirby Smith surrendered the Confederacy’s Trans-Mississippi Department, the last major army of the Confederacy, to the United States, in Galveston, Texas.” https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/june-19-2022?r=5hbsd&s=r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
My recollection is that the Emancipation Proclamation was proclaimed and took effect in New Orleans on New Year's Day when Nathaniel Banks officially took command of the Army of the Gulf and relieved Benjamin Butler. New Orleans had fallen to and been occupied by Union forces some months earlier in 1862. Galveston had also been occupied by Union forces in 1862, but on New Year's Day, 1863, Confederate forces attacked and drove out the Union occupiers. Is it a mistake to assume that the Emancipation would have been proclaimed in Texas on that day if Union forces had not been attacked and forced into a hasty retreat? Banks later tried to retake Galveston but was repulsed. My great great grandfather traveled with his unit, the 27th Wisconsin, departing from Mobile on a ship called the Clinton on June 1 and arriving at Boca Chica on the island of Brazos Santiago at the mouth of the Rio Grande on the 7th of June, 1865. He disembarked and was promptly hospitalized with what appears to have been yellow fever. He was evacuated before his unit marched on Brownsville about a week later and arrived at Jefferson Barracks Hospital in St. Louis before the end of June. He died and was buried there a month later. A large contingent of Union forces, perhaps as many as fifty thousand troops, marched on Brownsville from Brazos Santiago in early June with no resistance beyond the Battle of Palmetto Ranch in the last week of May, so occupied Brownsville became a Union army mustering out station for most of July and August. Soldiers in the 27th Wisconsin did report frequent sightings of soldiers in French uniforms actively drilling on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, presumably part of Maximilian's army there to ensure proper handling of any contraband cotton Union troops might have discovered in Brownsville warehouses. Many of the Union troops mustering out in Brownsville that summer had been part of the substantial force assembled to reduce by siege the last two forts defending and preventing the capitulation of Mobile in March and April of 1865.
Thank you, Craig. So much of what I was reading just said that Granger was there, and I wanted to know why. As a Virginian who grew up near Brandy Station, I’m woefully ignorant about the Western Theater.
“such fullness of joy” Wonderful thought. I hope when you finish writing your Shaw biography, you will write an honest accounting of how it all came about.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/across-the-border-this-mexican-community-also-celebrates-juneteenth
Thanks for sharing this. Very interesting.
For those of you who want to learn more about this aspect of slavery. Highly recommend.
https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/alice-l-baumgartner/south-to-freedom/9781541617773/
I think Benito Juarez was the first to realize the significance of Juneteenth and Edouard Manet was the first to immortalize the event as the basis for a transnational holiday with his painting The Execution of Emperor Maximilian Mexico 1867.
Happy Juneteenth!
Happy Juneteenth everyone!