Full Text of HR1345 99th General Assembly
HR1345 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to honor the soldiers of the 100th | 4 | | Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment for their service during | 5 | | the Civil War; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, The 100th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment | 7 | | was comprised almost entirely of soldiers from Will County and | 8 | | was raised in Joliet, with Colonel Frederick Bartleson as its | 9 | | commander; at the outbreak of the Civil War, he was an attorney | 10 | | and had previously served as State's Attorney of Will County; | 11 | | prior to forming the 100th, he served as Captain in the 20th | 12 | | Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment and lost an arm at the | 13 | | Battle of Shiloh; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, The 100th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment | 15 | | fought in the Western Theater, mainly in Tennessee and Georgia; | 16 | | at the Battle of Chickamauga, Colonel Bartleson was captured | 17 | | and the 100th lost 165 of its 315 soldiers; Colonel Bartleson | 18 | | was held in the famous Libby Prison in Richmond, where we wrote | 19 | | a poem on his experiences in the war and his hope for the | 20 | | future, which included the eloquent lines: "Through the clouds | 21 | | the sun is slowly breaking/Hope from her long deep sleep is | 22 | | waking. Speed the time Father, when the bow of peace/Spanning | 23 | | the Gulf, shall bid the tempest cease. When men, clasping each |
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| 1 | | other by the hand/Shall shout together in a united land, All is | 2 | | well"; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, As an officer, Colonel Bartleson was allowed to be | 4 | | paroled and sent back home to Joliet, where many urged him to | 5 | | retire and run for office, with both parties promising him an | 6 | | unopposed congressional run; in response, he stated: | 7 | | "Gentlemen, the question is still unsettled whether we are to | 8 | | have another Congress or a country. It can only be settled by | 9 | | the success of our armies. Until it is settled, I want no | 10 | | nomination and no office but the one I now hold, and I shall | 11 | | return to my post and give my life if need be, to secure to us a | 12 | | free government"; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Colonel Bartleson returned to the 100th Illinois | 14 | | Volunteer Infantry Regiment in time for Sherman's Atlanta | 15 | | Campaign; tragically, his cryptic words held true, and he was | 16 | | killed by a sniper's bullet at Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia on | 17 | | June 23, 1864; he was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Joliet, | 18 | | where he lies today; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, The Regimental Colors of the 100th Illinois | 20 | | Volunteer Infantry Regiment were restored in partnership with | 21 | | the Illinois State Military Museum in Springfield; a campaign | 22 | | to return and display them to their home in Joliet began in | 23 | | 2012 by Joliet Area Historical Museum Board President Robert E. |
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| 1 | | "Bob" Kuzma; the colors will be dedicated on June 30, 2016; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Colonel Bartleson's sword, snuff box, and | 3 | | portrait are also part of the display; while the exhibit is not | 4 | | just about him, he and the Flag represent thousands of stories | 5 | | of bravery, valor, and above all, sacrifice - not only from the | 6 | | soldiers of the 100th, but of all soldiers, past, present, and | 7 | | future; therefore, be it | 8 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 9 | | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 10 | | honor the soldiers of the 100th Illinois Volunteer Infantry | 11 | | Regiment for their service during the Civil War and thank the | 12 | | Joliet Area Historical Museum for restoring the Regimental | 13 | | Colors of the Regiment to their home in Joliet; and be it | 14 | | further
| 15 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 16 | | presented to the Joliet Area Historical Museum as a symbol of | 17 | | our esteem and respect.
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