Bill Text: IL HJR0029 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Designates the portion of Illinois Route 251 as it travels through Minonk as the "CPL Joseph C. Clegg Memorial Highway".
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-05-06 - Referred to Assignments [HJR0029 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2021-HJR0029-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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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