Biography

He was the Union commander of the Department of Texas from June 19 to August 6, 1865. He was born in New York and became a career U.S. Army officer. He served in the Mexican-American War and on the American frontier before the Civil War began. He distinguished himself in many battles in the western theater of the war, such as at the Battle of Chickamauga and the Battle of Chattanooga. On June 19, 1865 he declared the institution of slavery dead in Texas, setting off joyous demonstrations by freedmen and originating the annual "Juneteenth" celebration.