Full Text of HJR0029 102nd General Assembly
HJ0029 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, It is important to remember and honor those who | 3 | | gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to our great country | 4 | | and the State of Illinois; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, CPL Joseph C. Clegg was a soldier who made the | 6 | | ultimate sacrifice in the Western Theater of the American | 7 | | Civil War during the siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, a | 8 | | fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled | 9 | | section of the Mississippi River; the Union victory at | 10 | | Vicksburg was a major turning point of the Civil War and was | 11 | | declared by President Abraham Lincoln as a "key" to defeating | 12 | | the Confederacy and by Confederate President Jefferson Davis | 13 | | as "the nailhead that held the South's two halves together"; | 14 | | and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Union attempts to take Vicksburg in the summer of | 16 | | 1862 failed in part because of the difficulties its geography | 17 | | presented, with the city resting high on a hill; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Union General Ulysses S. Grant started planning | 19 | | another more sustained effort to take Vicksburg that included | 20 | | building a canal so Union troops could move beyond the range of | 21 | | Confederate guns to allow for a larger gathering of Union | 22 | | troops; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The battle, which become widely known as the | 2 | | Vicksburg Campaign, included multiple battles when General | 3 | | Grant settled in for a siege by surrounding Vicksburg on May | 4 | | 18, 1863 that lasted for 47 days until, on July 4, 1863, | 5 | | Confederate General John Pemberton and General Grant finalized | 6 | | the surrender of Confederate troops and the Union Army took | 7 | | control of Vicksburg; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, During the course of the Vicksburg Campaign, CPL | 9 | | Clegg from Minonk braved the elements and fought valiantly to | 10 | | preserve the Union; he was killed in action on May 22, 1863; | 11 | | and | 12 | | WHEREAS, As a consequence of its military importance and | 13 | | of the sacrifice made by so many people, Vicksburg became a | 14 | | symbol to memorialize Civil War soldiers; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, The bravery of countless Civil War soldiers who | 16 | | fought to the end is consistent with the greatest acts of | 17 | | heroism known in our nation's history; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, CPL Clegg of the 77th Illinois Volunteer Infantry | 19 | | is interred and memorialized in the Vicksburg National | 20 | | Cemetery, which is the final resting place for over 17,000 | 21 | | Union and Confederate soldiers who died during the Vicksburg |
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| 1 | | Campaign; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, CPL Clegg is also memorialized on the tombstone | 3 | | of his parents, Alexander Clegg and Sarah Conway Clegg, and on | 4 | | the gravesite of his siblings, Martha Clegg Earl and Thomas | 5 | | Sylvester Clegg, in Minonk Township Cemetery; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, CPL Clegg served valiantly and died on the | 7 | | battlefield of Vicksburg during our nation's fight to preserve | 8 | | democracy and freedom for all Americans; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois is one of 31 states to have | 10 | | memorials or monuments commemorating the contribution of their | 11 | | citizens during the Vicksburg Campaign; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, CPL Clegg is an example of dedication and | 13 | | sacrifice to preserve a more perfect Union, and it is fitting | 14 | | we remember his ultimate sacrifice; therefore, be it
| 15 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 16 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | 17 | | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the portion of | 18 | | Illinois Route 251 as it travels through Minonk as the "CPL | 19 | | Joseph C. Clegg Memorial Highway"; and be it further | 20 | | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation |
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| 1 | | is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with | 2 | | State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs | 3 | | giving notice of the name of "CPL Joseph C. Clegg Memorial | 4 | | Highway"; and be it further
| 5 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 6 | | presented to the Secretary of Transportation, the Mayor of | 7 | | Minonk, the Woodford County Historical Society, and the | 8 | | descendants of CPL Clegg.
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