The commemorative event known to all Black Texans as Juneteenth began on June 19, 1865, with the issuance of General Order #3 by Union Gen. Gordon Granger. It became a Texas state holiday in 1980. It remains a Texas holiday today.
The Civil War officially ended around May 13, 1865, with the Battle of Palmito Ranch, a few miles east of Brownsville, TX on May 11-12, 1865.
President Andrew Johnson, Lincoln’s successor, declared that the Civil War was officially over on May 9, 1865, then he said on April 2, 1866, and again on August 20, 1866.
