What was the purpose of the federal troops occupying Texas after the Civil War?
The purpose of the federal troops, General Gordon Granger and 2.000 soldiers, occupying Texas after the Civil War on June 19, 1865, was to restore order and to take possession of the state and free former slaves. The day in which the federal troops arrived to Galveston Island, was named Juneteenth and it is a Texas celebrated holiday. Furthermore, the federal troops helped President Andrew Johnson, on June 17, in appointing Union General Andrew J. Hamilton as the new governor of Texas, the latter allowing amnesty to ex-confederates.
