Gordon Granger was a career U.S. Army officer and a Union general during the American Civil War, where he distinguished himself at the Battle of Chickamauga and the Battle of Chattanooga. He is best remembered for issuing General Order No. 3 on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, further informing residents of, and enforcing, Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation which set all Confederate states’ slaves free on January 1, 1863. June 19 is now commemorated by the federal holiday of Juneteenth. But how did Gordon Granger die and what were the circumstances of his death?
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Early Life and Military Career
Granger was born in Joy, Wayne County, New York, on November 6, 1821, to Gaius Granger and Catherine Taylor, being one of three children in his family. His mother died on April 17, 1825, one month after giving birth to a daughter. His father married again in November 1826 to Sara (Salley) Emery and the two would have 10 children. He spent his early years with his paternal grandparents in Phelps, New York. While attending high school he developed health issues which carried on throughout his life. He was a teacher in North Rose, New York prior to entering the United States Military Academy.
Granger was appointed to the academy in 1841 when he was 19 years old. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1845 placed thirty-fifth in a class of forty-one cadets. He was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant and assigned to the Second Infantry Regiment stationed in Detroit, Michigan. In July 1846 he transferred to the newly constituted Regiment of Mounted Riflemen at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri.
During the Mexican–American War, Granger fought in Winfield Scott’s army. He took part in the Siege of Veracruz, the Battle of Cerro Gordo, the Battle of Contreras, the Battle of Churubusco, and the Battle for Mexico City. Granger received two citations for gallantry and in May 1847 received his regular commission as a second lieutenant. After the war, he served on the western frontier in Oregon and then Texas.
When the Civil War erupted, Granger was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel in the volunteer army and was assigned to mustering duty in Ohio, serving on the staff of Major General George B. McClellan from April 23 to May 31, 1861. He was promoted to captain in the regular army on May 5, 1861, and to brigadier general of volunteers on September 23, 1861.
Civil War Service
Granger served in various commands and battles in the Western Theater of the Civil War, including the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, the Battle of New Madrid, the Siege of Corinth, the Battle of Chickamauga, the Battle of Missionary Ridge, the Battle of Mobile Bay, and the Battle of Fort Blakeley. He was known for his bravery, aggressiveness, and independence, which sometimes brought him into conflict with his superiors. He was wounded twice during the war and received several promotions and brevets for his actions. He was promoted to major general of volunteers on September 17, 1862, and to brevet major general in the regular army on March 13, 1865.
Juneteenth and the Emancipation of Texas
On June 19, 1865, Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with 2,000 federal troops to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of its slaves. He issued General Order No. 3, which read:
The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.
This order had a profound impact on the lives of the nearly 250,000 enslaved African Americans in Texas, who had been kept in bondage for more than two months after the surrender of the Confederate armies. The news of freedom spread quickly among the black population, sparking spontaneous celebrations and jubilation. The date of June 19 became known as Juneteenth, a portmanteau of June and nineteenth, and a symbol of the end of slavery and the beginning of freedom for African Americans.
Postwar Service and Death
After the war, Granger remained in the army and served in various posts and commands, including the Department of Texas, the District of New Mexico, the Department of the South, and the Department of the Missouri. He married Maria Letcher, a widow from Lexington, Kentucky, in 1869. He was on sick leave a great deal of the time due to his chronic health problems.
Granger died on January 10, 1876, at the age of 54, after suffering a stroke in Santa Fe, New Mexico Territory, where he was in command of the District of New Mexico. He was buried in Lexington Cemetery in Lexington, Kentucky, next to his wife, who had died in 1874.
Legacy and Honors
Granger is remembered as one of the most successful and controversial Union generals of the Civil War, and as the man who brought freedom to the slaves in Texas. His name is associated with Juneteenth, which is now celebrated as a federal holiday and a day of cultural significance for African Americans. Several places and institutions are named after him, including Granger, Texas; Granger Lake, Texas; Granger, Indiana; Granger, Iowa; Granger, Wyoming; and Granger High School in West Valley City, Utah. A statue of Granger stands in Galveston, Texas, near the site where he issued General Order No. 3.
