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LRB9208859RHrh
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, In 1778, the American war for independence was
3 in its third year and the new government was suffering
4 setbacks; and
5 WHEREAS, The governor of Virginia, Patrick Henry, had
6 commissioned Lieutenant Colonel Clark with orders stating
7 that his regiment was to capture Kaskaskia and its
8 surrounding towns in a series of attacks on the British army
9 and its Indian allies in order to secure the Illinois
10 territory and protect Virginia's frontier; and
11 WHEREAS, To aid Lieutenant Colonel Clark in this feat, he
12 raised 175 men in four different companies; these companies
13 were commanded by Captain Helm, Captain Bowman, Captain
14 Harrod, and Captain Montgomery; and
15 WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel Clark's army arrived in
16 Kaskaskia on July 4, 1778; Kaskaskia was captured by Clark's
17 force within fifteen minutes on the early morning of July 5,
18 1778; and.
19 WHEREAS, Lt. Colonel Clark sent Captain Joseph Bowman and
20 his company along with several predominate citizens of
21 Kaskaskia to capture Cahokia, St. Phillip, and Prairie du
22 Rocher; and
23 WHEREAS, Upon hearing of the recapture of Vincennes by
24 the British troops in the Illinois Territory, Lt. Colonel
25 Clark launched a campaign against Vincennes with 170 men in
26 his command; and
27 WHEREAS, After the British surrendered and the Illinois
28 Territory was secured once again, Major Bowman and Captain
29 Washington, along with their soldiers, fired the six pound
30 cannon in saluting the victory; and
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1 WHEREAS, Though Lt. Colonel Clark and his men have passed
2 into history, the Illinois Regiment still lives on; the
3 Captain Joseph Bowman's Illinois Regiment 1778 of today
4 educates people about Illinois' heritage and history, by
5 bringing the past to life; and
6 WHEREAS, The Captain Joseph Bowman's Company Illinois
7 Regiment 1778 gives an authentic portrayal of Revolutionary
8 War Soldiers and their historic plight at events held in the
9 Illinois State Capitol, the Illinois State Library, the
10 Illinois State Fair, and at several Illinois schools; in
11 addition they re-enact the capture of Fort Massic and Fort
12 Kaskaskia; and
13 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
14 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
15 we recognize the Captain Joseph Bowman's Company Illinois
16 Regiment 1778 as the official Revolutionary War Re-enactment
17 Unit for the State of Illinois; and be it further
18 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19 presented to Garrick Williams and the other members of the
20 Captain Joseph Bowman's Company Illinois Regiment 1778 as an
21 expression of our esteem.