News Release

Juneteenth, Gordon Granger, and Chickamauga

Date: May 26, 2022
Contact: Kim Coons, 706-866-9241, ext. 139

Fort Oglethorpe, GA: On Sunday June 19, at 2 pm, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special ranger-led hike to look at General Gordon Granger and his roles in both the Battle of Chickamauga and Juneteenth. This program will start at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center, then caravan to Snodgrass Hill and hike just under a mile to the program location This program will last approximately 1 hour. Please wear comfortable shoes, bring a bottle of water, and dress for the weather.

On June 19, 1865, General Order No. 3 was issued by US General Gordon Granger upon his arrival in Galveston, Texas, proclaiming freedom for the enslaved people in Texas, many of whom were unaware of the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Granger became celebrated among the formerly enslaved as the messenger of freedom in Texas. From then on, they would remember him, as well as celebrate the end of the institution of slavery on June 19, or, as it came to be known, “Juneteenth.” However, prior to his time in Texas, he was one of the heroes of Chickamauga, where his timely arrival on the battlefield, during the critical stand of the US army on Horseshoe Ridge and Snodgrass Hill, helped delay Confederate attacks and their ultimate victory.

For more information about programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, contact the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 706-866-9241, the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at 423-821-7786, or visit the park website at www.nps.gov/chch.