One of the 182,566 people freed on the first Juneteenth was Joshua Houston, the enslaved servant of the famous general. This is his story.
On June 19, 1865, two months after the U.S. Civil War ended, Union Gen. Gordon Granger walked onto the balcony at Ashton Villa in Galveston, Texas,...
June 24, 2023
5:12 AM
On June 19, 1865, two months after the U.S. Civil War ended, Union Gen. Gordon Granger walked onto the balcony at Ashton Villa in Galveston, Texas, and announced to the people of the state that 'all slaves are free.' As local plantation owners lamented the loss of their most valuable property, Black Texans celebrated Granger's Juneteenth announcement with singing, dancing and feasting. The 182,566 enslaved African Americans in Texas had finally won their freedom. One of them was Joshua Houston .
Jeffrey L. Littlejohn