Juneteenth 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 Juneteenth? On June 19, 1865, Gen. Gordon Granger issued General Orders No. 3 from his headquarters in Galveston, Texas. Celebrated today as the origin of the Juneteenth festivities, General Granger's order was the result of a long chain of political and military events involving the battles and leaders of the Civil War. In this book, Ed Cotham describes the Civil War events that led to Juneteenth, the circumstances that led to the issuance of the Juneteenth order, and the reaction to that order. Juneteenth: The Story Behind the Celebration provides important context to what is rapidly becoming one of the most celebrated events in American history. State House Press is the imprint of the Mc Whiney History Education Group whose mission is to make history accessible through publishing, education, and tourism and is a proud partner with The Texas Center at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas. The Texas Center is an educational ecosystem that offers opportunities for students and the general population to learn and appreciate the uniqueness of Texan history, civilization, and society. The Lone Star State has always been at the intersection of people, cultures, and ideas, and populated by immigrants. As a result, it has become an exceptionally diverse state with a history of redeeming, restoring, and transforming ordinary individuals into citizens who achieve the extraordinary. Texas, too, has always been a borderland, inhabited by those who resist the urge to be homogenized and contained, while appreciating and promoting the ways in which our neighbors are different and unique-but also pulling in the same direction. The Texas Center at Schreiner University will continue the university's tradition of being the small college in Texas that believes in the classic Texan virtues of spirit, fortitude, hope, and achievement. Book jacket.