HR1342 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1342 LRB099 22292 MST 49678 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On July 4th, 1866, General William Tecumseh Sherman attended the grand celebration of the Fourth of July at Salem in Marion County and gave a patriotic speech; and

WHEREAS, General Sherman (1820-1891) fought for the Union in the American Civil War under the leadership of President Abraham Lincoln; he is best remembered for his capture of Atlanta, Georgia in September of 1864 and his "March to the Sea", finally taking Savannah in December of 1864; and

WHEREAS, An estimated 25,000 people attended General Sherman's speech, which he presented on a wooden platform with a backdrop of tattered battle flags of various Illinois regiments and mottoes complimentary to General Sherman, Governor Richard J. Oglesby, and General John A. Logan; in addition, Col. E. N. Bates, of Centralia read the Declaration of Independence and General John Alexander Logan, Union General and U.S. Senator, also gave a speech; at the completion of Gen. Sherman's remarks, a glee club sang the tune "Sherman's March to the Sea"; and

WHEREAS, General Sherman's speech, recorded in the Weekly Missouri Democrat July 10, 1866, was deemed more of an address to the nation than just the residents of Salem; and

WHEREAS, 2016 marks the 150th anniversary of the presentation of General Sherman's speech and a commemorative re-enactment of his speech and others will be presented in Bryan Memorial Park (known as Hulls Grove at the time of the speech) on July 4, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Salem residents Geff Purcell and Luke Purcell led the organizing of this reenactment performed by Kaskaskia College English professor, Clint Stevens, and by enlisting the cooperation and help of Danny Tolka, Jack McGuire, Lynn and Mark Larimer, Linda and Glenn Burleson, the Salem City Council, the Salem Historical Commission, the Salem Tourism Board, the Mount Olive Lodge No. 114 of the International Order of Odd Fellows, the Luther B. Easley American Legion Post 128, and the Marion County Genealogical and Historical Society; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we commemorate and congratulate the City of Salem and all of the volunteers and community groups for their efforts to keep alive the history of our State and nation; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the City of Salem and all organizers who helped to make this 150th Anniversary event a success.