Edward T. Cotham, Jr

Ed Cotham is the prize-winning author of many books and articles on Civil War history, emphasizing the battles and skirmishes in Texas. He is also very interested in nautical history and has served as project historian for several important Civil War shipwreck projects. A frequent lecturer on these subjects, Ed also leads occasional tours of Texas battlefields and state historic sites. Ed's research interests also include a wide variety of historical events that took place in and around Texas. One of the most important of these events was the issuance of General Orders No. 3 (the "Juneteenth Order") in Galveston on June 19, 1865. In addition to his book on Juneteenth, Ed wrote a book relating to Ulysses S. Grant's 1880 visit to Texas. In 2024, Ed returned to his original research subject and authored a book on the critical decisions that led to Galveston ending the war as the last major Confederate port.