Juneteenth (June 19th) Emancipation Timeline: January 1, 1863: Emancipation Proclamation signed April 9, 1865: General Robert E Lee surrenders April 14, 1865: John Wilkes Booth assassinates President Abraham Lincoln & he dies April 15, 1865 May 12, 1865: Final battle of Civil War at Palmito Ranch, Texas May 26, 1865: Civil War officially ends June 19, 1865: Major General Gordon Granger arrives in Galveston, Texas December 6, 1865: 13th Amendment abolishing slavery ratified FREEDOM! US Federal Holiday 2021