LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the end of
the American Civil War on April 9, 2015, and paying tribute to those who
fought

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to commemorate the
events during the American Civil War and those involved in such events
that led to the indelible unity of our great Nation; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is proud to commemorate the 150th Anni-
versary of the end of the American Civil War and to pay tribute to those
who, both in and out of battle, contributed to the preservation of our
great Union and the foundation of a greater set of values upon which our
Nation has considerably progressed; and
WHEREAS, The American Civil War involved over three million Americans,
and was the deadliest of American wars, costing the lives of over
600,000 soldiers and leaving over 400,000 soldiers wounded; and
WHEREAS, New York State provided more than 400,000 recruits to the
military, and lost nearly 40,000 soldiers to combat and disease, the
greatest loss of any state by the end of the War, while not a single
battle was fought in New York State; and
WHEREAS, New York State produced myriad notable individuals among the
hundreds of thousands from the State who were vital to the aims of the
Union and to the end of the War, including General Gouverneur K. Warren,
General John McAllister Schofield, and Union Brigadier General George
Crockett Strong; and
WHEREAS, New York State saw many of its African American residents
join the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, the first regiment in the Nation
that permitted African Americans to join the war, and in doing so
promoted the equality of races; and
WHEREAS, Nationally, these regiments lost 35,000 soldiers, second only
to the numbers lost by New York State, in the most admirable pursuit of
equality and preservation of meritorious principles; and
WHEREAS, New York's 69th Infantry Regiment, the "Fighting Sixty-
Ninth", was an Irish regiment organized in New York State and was a
pivotal actor in key battles such as Bull Run, Malvern Hill, Antietam,
and Gettysburg; and
WHEREAS, The USS Monitor, constructed in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, was the
first ironclad ship commissioned by the Union Navy and was involved in
the critical Battle of Hampton Roads; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body, attendant to its commemoration of the
end of the American Civil War, advances that the State and the Nation
sedulously remember the events and individuals who fought for a strong-
er, unified Nation instilled not only with laudable principles but also
with the aspiration to improve; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the end of the American Civil War
on April 9, 2015, and to pay tribute to those who fought; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the New York State Museum, the New York State Military Muse-
um, The New York Historical Society, The American Legion, The Brooklyn
Historical Society, and the Seward House Historical Museum.