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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, It is important to remember and honor those who
3gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to our great country
4and the State of Illinois; and
 
5    WHEREAS, CPL Joseph C. Clegg was a soldier who made the
6ultimate sacrifice in the Western Theater of the American
7Civil War during the siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, a
8fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled
9section of the Mississippi River; the Union victory at
10Vicksburg was a major turning point of the Civil War and was
11declared by President Abraham Lincoln as a "key" to defeating
12the Confederacy and by Confederate President Jefferson Davis
13as "the nailhead that held the South's two halves together";
14and
 
15    WHEREAS, Union attempts to take Vicksburg in the summer of
161862 failed in part because of the difficulties its geography
17presented, with the city resting high on a hill; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Union General Ulysses S. Grant started planning
19another more sustained effort to take Vicksburg that included
20building a canal so Union troops could move beyond the range of
21Confederate guns to allow for a larger gathering of Union
22troops; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The battle, which become widely known as the
2Vicksburg Campaign, included multiple battles when General
3Grant settled in for a siege by surrounding Vicksburg on May
418, 1863 that lasted for 47 days until, on July 4, 1863,
5Confederate General John Pemberton and General Grant finalized
6the surrender of Confederate troops and the Union Army took
7control of Vicksburg; and
 
8    WHEREAS, During the course of the Vicksburg Campaign, CPL
9Clegg from Minonk braved the elements and fought valiantly to
10preserve the Union; he was killed in action on May 22, 1863;
11and
 
12    WHEREAS, As a consequence of its military importance and
13of the sacrifice made by so many people, Vicksburg became a
14symbol to memorialize Civil War soldiers; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The bravery of countless Civil War soldiers who
16fought to the end is consistent with the greatest acts of
17heroism known in our nation's history; and
 
18    WHEREAS, CPL Clegg of the 77th Illinois Volunteer Infantry
19is interred and memorialized in the Vicksburg National
20Cemetery, which is the final resting place for over 17,000
21Union and Confederate soldiers who died during the Vicksburg

 

 

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1Campaign; and
 
2    WHEREAS, CPL Clegg is also memorialized on the tombstone
3of his parents, Alexander Clegg and Sarah Conway Clegg, and on
4the gravesite of his siblings, Martha Clegg Earl and Thomas
5Sylvester Clegg, in Minonk Township Cemetery; and
 
6    WHEREAS, CPL Clegg served valiantly and died on the
7battlefield of Vicksburg during our nation's fight to preserve
8democracy and freedom for all Americans; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois is one of 31 states to have
10memorials or monuments commemorating the contribution of their
11citizens during the Vicksburg Campaign; and
 
12    WHEREAS, CPL Clegg is an example of dedication and
13sacrifice to preserve a more perfect Union, and it is fitting
14we remember his ultimate sacrifice; therefore, be it
 
15    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
16HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
17SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the portion of
18Illinois Route 251 as it travels through Minonk as the "CPL
19Joseph C. Clegg Memorial Highway"; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation

 

 

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1is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with
2State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs
3giving notice of the name of "CPL Joseph C. Clegg Memorial
4Highway"; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
6presented to the Secretary of Transportation, the Mayor of
7Minonk, the Woodford County Historical Society, and the
8descendants of CPL Clegg.